Every Scars Will Build My Throne
by Amourinette
Summary: ZUTARA. AU where Katara was found as the last waterbender, then taken to the Fire Nation at such young age. Ozai decided to raise Katara as his own daughter, to train and use her as a weapon. Zuko hasn't been banished yet, and the avatar hasn't been found yet as well. Also, this story will have some Blue Spirit scenes. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1 - Black Snow

This is a ZUTARA fanfiction, but I might add a little bit of maiko and kataang just to make it more interesting. Also, this story will have some blutara moments too! (blue spirit x katara) Also, RATED M for sexual, mild violence, and language stuffs. This is my very first time writing a fanfiction, and English is not my first language. So even though I'm fluent at it, I apologize for any grammar mistakes and so on.

Some parts might be a bit ooc, but I guess that's how I like it. Oh and one last thing, at the end of few chapters I would be explaining a bit on what's going on to clear some confusion. Oh and, I got the title idea from Bring Me The Horizon's lyric from the song "Throne".

All characters are from Avatar Last Airbender, belonged to Bryke. I do not own them nor have ever worked in the animation studio/team. Expect some original characters that I might add, and I will state them at the end of the chapter in author's note.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1 – BLACK SNOW**

 _"You will learn respect! And suffering will be your teacher!" Ozai shouted as he burned his own son, in front of many people._

 _Katara couldn't look at it. She just couldn't. All she could do was close her eyes, and tried to block her ears from that agonizing scream._ _Tears flooded her eyes, she couldn't help it. She just couldn't. How is it possible for a father to be so cruel and sadistic towards his own son? But then what could she expect? What could she expect from the fire nation? War, greed, and hatred had always run through their blood._

 _Yet, the most horrifying thing wasn't just that Ozai had burned his son. But rather… the fact that the whole crowd cheered. At least, expect for General Iroh, who had been closing his eyes as well._ _How could these people be so cruel? So evil? Even Azula cheered. She couldn't believe this. How does one cheered when her own brother got burned? Katara knew that Azula and Zuko never had a smooth relationship, but this had just crossed the line._

 _Katara could somehow feel Azula's presence coming closer to her, even though she was still closing her eyes with her hands. Then Katara heard Azula spoke calmly, "Aww, too weak to open your eyes and look at the truth Katara? Ahahahah what a pity. You should know that Zuko had always been weak. Even when he's strong, he's weak. Even I would ask you, why do you still befriend with my pathetic brother here. I can't believe I'm saying this but for a waterbender, you have the strength of a firebender. You should just leave him to rot!"_

 _Katara slowly opened her eyes and looked up, as she heard a thud on the stage. Her eyes immediately went wide. The view in front of her just made her sick to the stomach. She wanted to puke, wanted to scream, but she couldn't._

 _The crowd began to decrease slowly. Katara was still frozen to her feet, she wanted to do something but she didn't know what. And finally, a tiny voice from her mouth slipped, "Zuko…?"_

* * *

"Kya, I think it's time we talk about our daughter… I think-" said Hakoda as he was cut mid sentence by Kya. "Yes dear, I know I know…" she sighed. Kya knew that this day would come, She knew that sooner or later they need to tell their daughter to stop waterbend, for her own safety. Kya moved closer towards her husband then caressed his cheek, "I know that sooner or later this day would come. I know that it's best for her to stop waterbend but… Hakoda, waterbending is part of her. It's who and what she is. I can't… forbid her". Hakoda closed his eyes for a moment then sighed, "I know, but this is for her own safety. Kya, we can't risk the fire nation to take her. Or even worst, kill her".

Kya looked down to the ground, she didn't know what to do. She had to protect her daughter with all cost, but she didn't want to forbid Katara to watebend. Waterbending is what made Katara who she really is. It would break Katara if she's not able to do it anymore. Kya slowly looked up and stared to her husband's eyes, "I know that exactly. But I still won't forbid her from waterbending. We must do whatever we can to protect our daughter. I will protect her no matter what, even if it costs my life Hakoda".

Hakoda deeply sighed, he felt defeated. He knew that Kya won't agree to this, because even he didn't agree to this. He just wanted to protect their daughter with everything they have. Hakoda pulled his wife into a tight embrace then said, "Okay love, we won't tell her that. I know how Katara would feel if we forbid her to waterbend. It's just that… she's just a child Kya. She's only 9 years old and I just-"

"Oh love" Kya chuckled, "It's alright. Everything is going to be fine, okay?" she smiled. Hakoda let go of Kya and smiled back, even thought his eyes won't hide the pain inside. Hakoda straighten up and said, "Well then, anyway… I'm gonna go now to find Katara and Sokka. I can't let them wander off too far. Besides, it's going to get dark soon". With that, Hakoda turned on his heels and went to leave the tent.

 _Meanwhile…_

"Ouch! Katara!" Sokka shouted, as he felt something hard throwed at the back of his head. Katara giggled, "Sorry! I was just practicing!". "Ugh, you may go around practicing your… magicbending! But don't throw things at me! It hurts!" Sokka yelled at his sister. "It's not magicbending, It's waterbending! And I said sorry! I didn't mean to throw it at you, I still need to control it. Ugh this is difficult" Katara said as she tried to bend some water again from the tiny puddle next to her.

"Sokka! Katara! Where are you kids?!" Katara and Sokka heard their father's tiny shout from the distance. "Oh that must be dad! He must want us to go back home" Katara said to Sokka as she immediately dropped the water into a puddle on the ground. Katara saw her father's dark figure few meters away and began running towards him. Sokka followed Katara from behind.

"Dad!" Sokka and Katara shouted as they got closer to Hakoda. "Hey there you two" Hakoda immediately hugged them both as they met, he picked up Katara and swing her around. Katara giggled, then Hakoda slowly put her down as he said, "Come, let's get back home. It's going to get dark soon. Mom's going to make your favorite dinner!". Sokka eyes widened at this, "Oh will there be meat?". Katara laughed at this and said, "Oh brother, the only thing in your mind is meat! Meat and meat! Sea prune is so much better!", "Yeah whatever Katara, meat is still the best! Besides, it gives you plen-" Sokka stopped mid sentence as he noticed tiny black drops fell from the sky. "Wait… what is… dad? Is thi-" before Sokka could even finished his sentence, Hakoda began pulling his children's hands and walked faster. "Oh no, c'mon we must get back as fast as we could!"

"Um dad, what's going on?" Katara asked with trembled voice as she started to get worried. "You know this is what they called the black snow. It's the fire nation!" Sokka answered his sister with hushed tones. "We have to hurry and warn the oth-" Hakoda suddenly stopped to a halt, "Oh no…"

Katara tried to look into the direction where her father was looking, and there in the distance, a fire nation ship had already landed on the shore near their tribe. "Um… dad?" Katara looked up to her father, "Come now! We need to run fast!" Hakoda shouted as he began running again.

* * *

"I told you! There are no waterbenders anymore here! You people took them all away years ago already!" Kya shouted to the man in front of her, who's standing tall inside the tent. Clenching his fist, the man replied, "Don't lie to me wench! I got orders from the FireLord himself that there's one last waterbender here". "Even if there is a waterbender here… what are you going to do about it? Take them away again, huh?!" Kya said as she stood tall, clenching her jaws.

The man made a low chuckle and answered, "Yess… we are going to take her or him to the fire nation. Just like old times" he smiled, then continued, "if you're not going to tell me who the last waterbender is… believe me, I will tear down this whole place until I found it! I will burn the entire village! Mark my word, I WILL burn everything to the ground".

With a smirked the man calmly said, "Soo, tell me. Who is the last waterbender? If you cooperate, I promise you no harm will be done to the village and we will leave immediately". Kya clenched her fists then closed her eyes. She would do anything to protect her family, her tribe, her Katara. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up straight to the man's eyes. "Fine… take me then! I am the last waterbender!" The man grinned and grabbed her hand hard, "You've got some guts there. If we found out you're lying, we will burn everyone and everything here until there's nothing left! Now follow us quietly to the ship. Do not resist, and do tell your tribe not to fight back. Tell them, and we'll leave peacefully".

"Very well, but could I please at least… say goodbye first to-" Kya saw her daughter came into the tent alone, then her eyes went wide.

"Mom!" Katara shouted. "Mom, what's going on? I'm.. scared" Katara shivered while holding her hands together.

"It-it's ok sweety… mommy was just talking to this man right here. Please go back to your daddy and Sokka okay? Everything is going to be fine" Kya tried to hide the tremble in her own voice but almost failed to do so. She crouched down in front of Katara then tucked a hair behind her left ear. "Go on dear, go to your daddy okay?" Kya gave Katara a sad smile.

"You heard your mother, now go outside!" the man shouted at Katara with glowing feral golden eyes. Katara was frozen to the ground, she didn't want to go away. She didn't want to move. She knew that something was wrong and she had to do something to help her mother. Katara's eyes shifted a bit to a pot nearby in the corner, and decided to form a plan. Even when she's young, she understood if things went wrong or if something dangerous had happened. And now she knew, that she must help protect her mother. Without a second thought, she suddenly summoned a bit of water from the pot and striked it to the man's face.

The man staggered a bit and shocked, looking at her with wide eyes. "Katara! NO!" Kya shouted. As Kya was about to drag Katara out of the tent, the man grabbed Kya's back dress and pulled her to the ground. Kya hit her head hard on a table's edge and fell unconscious. "Ugh you people should really learn your lesson. Today, will be the day where your people will regret!" the man said with an annoyed voice while wiping his wet face, then started to walk towards Katara.

"No…. no no! No pleaassee no!" Katara pleaded as she started to turned on her heels and ran away, but man knocked her head hard on the back. As she began to fall, her visions became darker and blurred. Seconds before she fell unconscious, she heard her father's voice shouting her name and her mother's.

* * *

Author's note :

I'm so so exicted with my first fanfiction ever! This is going to be a long one, I don't know how many chapters there will be. But I'm guessing there will be 20 or so, or even more who knows. I already write the plot of the story from the beginning till almost the end, so I'm serious about wanting to finish this. I will update as soon as possible. Also, do you guys think it's a bit too short for this chapter? If it is, I'll make it longer for each chapters. Please leave reviews and critiques and so on! I'm already writing the second chapter, so I'll update it as soon as possible :D Much love 3


	2. Chapter 2 - New Life

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

That being said, I just want to thank you to the reviews on the the first chapter. Sorry if it was confusing a bit with the 2 people conversations in one paragraph. Also to make things more clear, the part where Katara was there when Zuko had his first agni kai was a flash of the future chapters. That will happen but still a long way to go haha. To remind you again, I've changed their ages than their original ages in the show, so it'll fit the rating M later on. Katara right now is 9 years old, and Zuko is 11 years old.

CHAPTER 2 – NEW LIFE

Katara tried so hard to open her eyes but she couldn't. She felt her head throbbing really painfully. Then she heard murmurs near her, she tried to listen but she failed to do so. The sounds or voices were too blurred, it's like as if she's underwater. Katara tried to move her arms and she couldn't. She tried and tried, but she couldn't move a single muscle. She could only feel the pain in the back of her head.

"So what should we… know? Did you inform the…" Katara heard someone's talking near her, but she couldn't make out some words as her head was still so dizzy. One thing for sure, she knew whoever that was, was an adult male.

"Well yeah, I already did" said another different voice.

"Do you… we should…"

"I don't think we…to… think she… know and… here"

Katara was trying so hard to make out what they were talking about, and what it meant. Then she heard footsteps getting far away from her, and then a sound of a door being closed. She tried to calm down and try to figure out what just had happened. She seemed unable to recall any memories. She knew that she must had had an accident since her head hurt so much, but what exactly happened?

Then slowly, Katara was finally able to open her eyes. Her view was still blurred out and she scratched her eyes with the back of her palm, trying to strain her vision. She could finally started to see clearer now and realized that she's laying on a medium sized bed, with white sheets and a red blanket.

 _Where am I? What happened?_ Katara thought to herself as she slowly tried to sit on the bed, and took a look of her surroundings. She saw that she's in a medium sized room. She thought that it's supposed to be a bedroom but it seemed more likely to be a private infirmary. On the wall in front of her was a single black wooden door. Next to each sides of her bed were two small tables, with one candlelit on the right table. To her right in the corner were large cupboards with some bottles, pills, and what looked like some medicines. To her left, was a small chair next to her bed and few shelves attached to the wall with some more tiny bottles.

One significant, and important thing about this room was…. almost everything was in red.

 _Wait a minute… why is, almost everything in… red? Clearly this is not my home! Not even near my tribe! There should only be blue and white._ Katara thought to herself. She furrowed her brows and tried to remember again what had happened, surely she must have fallen or something had hit her really hard. She began to feel nauseated and so she hugged herself.

"Mom.. dad.. Sokka..." she whispered to herself.

"Oh… here already, we…. leave now" Katara suddenly heard someone talked outside of the room. The voice sounded like someone was mumbling, so Katara could only made out few words.

"No, it's best one… stay here, if… to be… ok?" some other raspy voice said.

Katara just looked down as she mustered up all her energy to prepare for whatever it was. She knew soon enough someone would come into the room. She felt so sick, dizzy, and especially small. That's when she realized that the room has no windows, and the only light source was from the candle beside her, and two sconces on each side of the front door.

Katara sighed heavily and turned around a bit, to fix her pillows as she decided to lay down for a bit. She then saw something on the wall behind her, and realization hit her really hard. A curtain hanged on the wall behind her, with a fire nation insignia.

"Oh no…" a tiny trembled voice escaped from her lips.

"Yeah, sure. You got... time… after that, the… will come… himself" Katara heard another muffled voice, and then suddenly the door creaked open. Katara snapped her head to the direction, and suddenly felt her head throbbing with pain and fell down.

"Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you, please just lay down" said a soft female voice. Katara clenched her jaws so hard as the pain was too much, but then it slowly subsided when she felt something cool on her head. "Please, don't force yourself… don't take it all in at once. Just relax, this would help". Katara noticed how soft and motherly that voice was. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up to meet the person's eyes.

Katara was startled to see that the person beside her was a water tribe woman. She seemed to be in her mid 30s. Her long dark brown hair reached to her hips. The weird thing was that this woman was wearing red, colors that water tribe people won't wear. Katara couldn't help but notice her eyes. She had beautiful deep blue eyes, but what made Katara concerned wasn't the colors of it… but the pain behind those eyes. Katara could feel such darkness and despair behind those blue eyes.

"Hey there" the woman gave Katara a big warm smile. "I'm Kana. Please hold still okay? I'm here to help you". Katara then realized that Kana had been touching Katara's head, with glowing gloves of… water? "Wait what… are you.." Katara staggered out her words. "I'm healing you, you've hit your head pretty badly or… I suppose someone had hit you" Kana said with a concerned tone in her voice.

"Healing me?" Katara asked with a confused look on her face. "Wait a minute… you're.. you're a waterbender too!"

Kana smiled a little and answered, "Yes, healing. It's one of waterbending abilities. If you don't know about this then… I bet you're from the southern water tribe"

Katara was still so confused as to what was happening, and what Kana was talking about. She replied, "Ye-yes, I'm from the southern water tribe. How.. how did you know? Did you just guess it or..?"

Kana chuckled a bit and gave Katara a big smile, "I'm a prophet! I'm great at guessing". She tried to lighten up to mood but since Katara didn't react, she turned into her serious state again. "Well I'm just kidding dear… I knew it because they told me. They told me they've found the last waterbender. I do know that there are many waterbenders in the northern water tribe so… yeah. In the northern water tribe, waterbenders were trained to fight, heal, and so on"

After hearing this, Katara made a deep sigh. She had always wanted to learn more about waterbending but there were no one to teach her. Even the tribe's waterbending scroll were all taken away by the fire nation. She felt so alone and different since she knew she could waterbend. "I've always wanted to learn more about waterbending… but, sadly.. no one was there to teach me. I'm the last and only waterbender in the southern anyway. I've always felt so alone about this" Katara said with a sad voice.

Kana felt so sad for this little girl. She felt sad for her backstory and especially… what will happen to her soon. The kind of new life that awaits Katara. Kana slowly retrieved her hands back and smiled to Katara. "There, all done. Do you feel any better now? Oh and I'm so so sorry, I haven't asked your name?"

Katara gave Kana a small smile, "Yes I feel a lot better. Thanks a lot Kana, my name's Katara"

The door creaked open, and a man in fire nation soldier uniform stepped in. He looked towards Kana, then slowly his eyes drifted to Katara. He said in a low voice, "Kana you have 5 more minutes. When you're finished, show this little girl her new life".

* * *

"But dad! I want to come to! You know I want to look for her too and I want to fight in the war as well!" Sokka shouted as he swiped his tears flooded eyes. "P-please dad…. please let m-me come with you. We co-could look for Katara together dad" he said with hiccups between words.

Hakoda made a deep sighed and pulled his son into a tight embrace, then said, "Please Sokka, you must understand that you're still too young for this.. Gran-gran will take care of you. I promise you that I will come back. Please just stay here and be safe okay? When you're older enough, you may then choose to leave the tribe and live your life. But… for now ple-"

"NO! No dad! You don't understand how much I want to do this! I want to save my sister too!" Sokka yelled as he pushed his father away. "I can't simply just stay and sit here and do nothing! How could I just stay still while I know that the fire nation took my sister away. She might be I don't kno-"

Hakoda gave Sokka a stern look and said, "Sokka stop it. I mean it. Please listen to me and stay here, okay? It's for your own sake too. I must leave now… Sokka, I can't… I can't lose anyone anymore okay? I can't. I won't fail my own daughter. Not like how I've failed Kya. I can never forgive myself… ever"

And with that, Hakoda turned on his heels and walked towards the shore to join the other men. They all prepared to leave the tribe and go to war.

* * *

Author's note : Thank you so much for the reviews and favorites! I need reviews/critiques as much as possible so I could write better :D


	3. Chapter 3 - Prophecy

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : I forgot to tell you guys on the previous chapter, Kana is an original character I made for this story.

CHAPTER 3 – Prohecy

Katara shifted a bit under the stern gaze of the man. His eyes looked menacing under that fire nation helmet. He scowled at Katara and Kana, then turned on his heels to leave. When the door was closed, Katara let out a long breath. "Um, Kana… wha-what is going on? What did he mean by… m-my new life? What's happening?" whispered Katara as she's too afraid that someone might hear her.

Kana looked at Katara with such sad gaze and said, "I'm… I'm so sorry Katara. I couldn't explain too much for now. But.." Kana sighed then continued, "You are in the fire nation now. You passed out for 3 to 5 days, I'm not sure"

"Wait, what?! The fire nation?! Why am I here? I don't belong here!" Katara raised her voice for each question she asked. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. She really was in the fire nation, this not a dream.

 _I don't want to believe this! I guess I really am in the fire nation now… I still couldn't remember what happened back then. Where's dad? mom? and Sokka?_ Katara thought to herself.

"Ka-Katara I'm so sorry but… do you remember anything? Anything at all? What happened before you.. got here?" Kana asked.

This time, Katara began doubting if Kana really was helping her or not. The way Kana asked her about what happened just sounded… off. It's like as if Kana actually knew what happened but wanted to test Katara, if she remembers anything or not. Katara didn't know what to think, what to feel, what to do. She was so lost, and again… she felt all alone.

"No-no… I still don't… remember anything. I tried so hard really, but I couldn't remember. One thing though… I do know something bad must've happened in my tribe. I'm so… worry about my dad, mom, and Sokka" Katara said as she pulled her knees to her chest.

"Sokka?" Kana asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yes, my older brother. Um… Kana, I want… I want to ask you some questions" Katara looked at Kana from under her eyelashes.

Kana gave a reassuring smile, "Yes dear, go ahead and ask"

"If you're a waterbender then… why are you here? And especially, you seem… okay? I-I mean, please don't be mad. I mean, you seem safe here" asked Katara.

Kana chuckled a bit, "Yes well… I actually came from the southern water tribe you know. But I knew about my bending abilities since I was really young. My parents told me that if I want to learn more about waterbending, I should go to the northern tribe and so I did.. I kind of.. grew up there. But then I decided it's time to go back home, or… at least visit my family. When I got there, apparently some fire nation soldiers were there too"

Kana made a deep sigh then continued, "Then… I found out that they were trying to take all waterbenders from the southern tribe. They were supposed to kill me but… they didn't. They saw my healing abilities and so decided to use me. So here I am, in the fire nation. Force to work for them, because if not… well, they threatened to kill my whole family. They told me that my family is still alive but, they're held captive in some fire nation prison. I don't know where"

Katara listened to Kana's story and felt so sad for her. Katara couldn't imagine how it's like to live that kind of life. Katara then said, "I'm so… so sorry to hear that. I really do hope that soon enough, you'll meet your family again. And you all could leave this place alive, safe and sound"

Kana gave a big warm smile, "Thank you so much Katara, you're kind". Kana then took a cup filled with tea on the table next to her. She gave it to Katara, "Drink this, it's tea. It'll make you feel a lot better. You'll feel much more calm and relax"

After Katara drank the whole cup, she started to feel sleepy. Her eyelids felt so heavy and she couldn't fight to keep it open. _Wha-what's.. happening?_ She thought to herself, as she fell back into the pillow.

"I'm so, so sorry… Katara" Kana said to herself.

* * *

"So… the waterbender still couldn't remember what happened?" asked a low menacing voice.

"No-no, she couldn't remember. She still remembers her family though, but she didn't know what happened" another quivering voice answered.

"The 'tea' worked then?"

"Ye-yes it worked. It seems so sire, be-because when she was still on the ship… she remembered everything that happened, and tried to fight back. But now she could only remember about her fa-family"

"Very well then. Bring Kana here, I would to speak to her"

"Yes, Prince Ozai" answered the man as he bowed to Prince Ozai, and left the room.

* * *

"Yeah it's true Zuko! I told you! I heard that they've finally found the last waterbender, and she's here! Father truly listened to the fire sages, and took it seriously" said Azula with a smirk.

"What will father do to her? How come you know about all of this? Did you sneak out again? And what do you mean by father listened to the fire sages?" asked Zuko. One thing for sure, Zuko knew that Azula liked to sneak around a lot. Always trying to listen to whatever conversations she could hear. Especially the meetings between the fire sages, ministers, and the Fire Lord. Azula had always been a good sneaker.

Azula leaned in close to Zuko to whisper, "promise me first that you won't tell anybody"

"Yeah of course! I promise!" answered Zuko.

"Including mom" said Azula as she gave Zuko a stern gaze.

"Ye-yes Azula, I promise! Now tell me"

Azula chuckled and grinned widely, "I heard that the fire sages told our father, and Fire Lord Azulon about a prophecy. A prophecy of the last southern waterbender. The fire sages said that the waterbender could either stop the war, or help to win the war"

"Wha-what? Help winning the war? How?" asked Zuko, confused. Zuko didn't really want to believe his sister, he knew that Azula likes to lie a lot.

"Yeah well, I don't know for sure how and why. But it seems that from now on… we'll have a new family member" said Azula, smirking.

"A new family membe-?" Zuko was cut off, as he heard someone came into the room from behind.

"A new family member? What are you two talking about?" a stern motherly voice asked.

"Mom!" exclaimed Zuko and Azula.

Ursa walked towards her children, and gave them a stern gaze. Looking around as to make sure no one's near, she asked,"What are you two talking about? Hmm?"

Zuko being the obedient child he was to his mother, immediately answered, "A-Azula told me about the waterbender! And also the fire sages! About a prophecy of some sort, about the waterbender winning the war or something… I'm still confused"

"Zuko! Ugh, you promised!" Azula shouted to Zuko.

"That's enough! Now come with me, young lady. We need to talk" said Ursa, as she grabbed Azula's hand and dragged her outside the room.

 _Meanwhile…_

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" Kana sighed deeply, "she's just a child". Kana kept starring at Katara, peacefully sleeping on her new bed. Her new room. Her new home. Kana knew that if she ever goes against the Fire Lord's order… she will lose her family forever. She couldn't risk it. As much as it hurts her to do this to a child, especially of her own kind… she just had to.

"I really am sorry Katara… I had no choice" Kana slowly closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. Kana suddenly heard a knock on the door, she immediately stood up and walked towards the door. When she opened the door, a man in a fire nation uniform stood.

"Kana, Prince Ozai wished to speak to you.. now" the man said, then quickly turned on his heels and left.

Kana sighed deeply, and looked back from her shoulders to Katara sleeping on the bed. Kana left the room and slowly closed the door. _I still can't believe I'm doing this... to a child. Oh I feel so guilty, but… what else could I do? I can't possibly risk putting my family intro more danger._ Kana thought to herself as she walked through the halls towards Prince Ozai's office room. _I really do hope that one I'll be forgiven._ She thought as she stopped in front of a huge door to Ozai's office.

As Kana came into the room, she saw Prince Ozai stood tall, starring at a fireplace behind his work desk. "You summoned me, Prince Ozai?" said Kana as she bowed.

"Yes, I would like to talk about that… little waterbender. What's her name? And how old is she?" Ozai asked without looking to Kana.

"Her name is Katara, sire. But I'm afraid, I do not know her age. I haven't asked her" Kana answered with no tone in her voice at all.

Ozai slowly turned and looked straight into Kana's eyes, then said in a low stern voice, "Go back to check on Katara by tonight. Get to know her, be her… friend. I want you to take good 'care' of her, and make sure you give her the 'tea' each night before she go to sleep. Is that clear?"

Kana closed her eyes and clenched her jaws. She slowly opened her eyes and looked straight to Ozai's eyes. "With all due respect sire, Katara is merely just a child. She's very young, you can't possibly do this to a child?" Kana had gathered up all her courage and knew of the consequences if she ever defy Ozai.

Ozai laughed maniacally then said, "I couldn't possible do this to a child? Do you even listen to yourself Kana? Of course I'm able to do this. You do well to do what I tell you to, or your family will pay the price!"

Kana lowered her head and looked down. She knew that she's defeated. "Ye-yes, Prince Ozai. As you command me to" Kana answered as she clenched her fists.

Ozai grinned, "Good. Now, do be a good friend and caretaker of her. I'll give you a maximum of 5 days. So before I personally meet her, I want you to make sure that Katara won't remember about her past life anymore".

"What if she stills remember though? I don't think she will completely forget about her past just like that…" Kana asked.

Ozai smirked, and answered, "Then increase the doze". Ozai then waved his hand as to dismiss Kana, "That is all. Also to strengthen the effect of it, use your bending ability too"

* * *

Ursa dragged Azula all the way to Azula's bedroom. As they reached the room, Ursa quickly closed the door behind them. After making sure everything is safe, Ursa said in a serious tone to her daughter "Now tell me everything that you've known and heard, Azula"

Azula sighed and answered in an annoyed tone, "Ugh, it's just some prophecy that the fire sages told father. It's nothing serious really!"

Ursa looked straight into Azula's eyes, "Azula, don't make me-"

"Yes yes! I'll tell you everything, mom! But just pretend you don't know this, please mom? Just in case…" Azula said as she slowly looked down, and played with the hem of her shirt.

* * *

Author's note : reviews and comments pleaaasse! :D 3 I'll give you all the sweet cookies~ Oh and, sorry that this chapter is kinda too short. I kind of did this one purposely short with a bit cliffhanger lol :P I'll make the other chapters longer.


	4. Chapter 4 - Red, Black, and Gold

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : Again, English isn't my first language so I'm sorry for any grammatical errors. I'll try my best to check it again and re-read my writings over and over again. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites! Also, I'm sorry to some anonymous/guest reviews that I can't reply to. This website only allows me to reply to active accounts.

CHAPTER 4 – Red, Black, and Gold

Katara slowly opened her eyes and tried to sit up, but failed. She immediately fell back to her pillow as her head started to spin around. _Ugh, what's with this headache again? I felt better when Kana healed me… Did I really hit my head that hard?_ Katara thought to herself as she rubbed her temples. After the pain began to subside a bit, Katara tried to slowly lift her body with her elbows.

"Whe-where… am I? This room looks… different" Katara said to herself as she tried to strain her vision. As she finally could see clearly, she sat up straight and began observing her surroundings. _Hmm, it seems that I'm in a bedroom. A big one for sure, but… almost everything is red._ Katara felt disappointed and sad again, she thought that after she woke up… her nightmares might be over. She thought that this whole ordeal was just a horrible dream.

She then realized she's on a four-poster king sized bed, much larger than the infirmary bed. It has silk red sheets, and a deep red velvet bed cover. The room was almost 4 times bigger than the infirmary room. On the wall behind her, a big drape of fire nation insignia was hanged. On each sides of her bed, there were two end tables. To the front, there's a big double doors right on the middle of the wall. To her far right, there's a fireplace with two armed chairs in front of it, and a big rug. On the corner of the right room there were big tall bookshelves.

To her left not far from the bed's end table, was a medium sized wardrobe. Made of a deep colored mahogany. To her far left, there were also bookshelves but smaller than the right one. On the front of it, was a work desk and a chair. And last, on the corner left of her room was another door, much smaller than the front doors.

 _I guess I'm still in the fire nation then. This is real.._ She thought to herself, as she noticed every furniture in the room were either red, gold, or dark brown. She sighed deeply, frustrated at her situation and especially, being all alone. _Huh I wonder where Kana is... I'm curious to go out but, no no. That's too risky for now._

"Maybe I'll just check where that door in the corner leads to" Katara said to herself, as she slowly slipped down from the bed, and walked towards the door on the left corner. When she opened the door, it leads to another room. Or so she thought… apparently it's a big bathroom. The whole walls and floor was made of black with white streaks marble. The room was big, bigger than her tiny house back in her tribe. That's when she realized she hadn't thought about her home. Her real home.

"Ugh, this is so frustrating!" Katara shouted with balled fists up her head. "I still can't remember anything! Oh mom… dad… I can't remember how I got here, and why". Tears started to fall from her eyes. Katara was so confused and scared, but the most frustrating thing was that she didn't even remember what happened.

Katara tried to remember back to where she belong to, where she came from. She still could remember her home, her tent, but it came in a daze. She tried and tried again, but she failed. She also tried to remember the people that lived in her tribe, but sadly… all of their faces were a blur. It's no use.

 _The more I try to remember the more frustrating I become. And ugh, this headache! My head is starting to throb again!_ Katara thought to herself as she walked further into the bathroom. The room was pretty spacious. There's a big bathtub made of white marble with golden water tabs, in the center of the room. There were few pot plants in the corner of the room. Near the plants, was a golden sink with a big mirror above it, and also a tiny wardrobe next to it.

"Oh well, couldn't hurt if I take a bath. Maybe it'll ease my mind" Katara said to herself as she opened the water tab on the bathtub. After she waited for the water to fill the whole tub, she tested to make sure it wasn't too hot.

Please with the water temperature, Katara disrobed herself. She smiled to herself and slowly got into the tub. "Ahh… that's the spot. Gah, can't believe how dirty my hair is, yuck! I smell bad too!"

* * *

Zuko feeling bored, decided to go to the private royal garden. As he was walking past through the wide long hallways, he became lost in thought. He got so curious of what Azula told him about the prophecy. Zuko's not one to easily believe in prophesies. He believed that anything could happen if you want it to, if you make it to.

As Zuko got near the royal garden, he heard water splashing. Zuko snapped back into reality and looked up to see what's going on. There on a fountain nearby, sat two girls. One was was wearing a pink outfit and giggling like crazy. And one was wearing a normal kids fire nation outfit, with no expression at all.

"Heyy, Zuukooo!" the girl in pink stood up, and called out to Zuko.

Zuko, not really one to hangout with other people, decided to just ignore them. Pretending he didn't hear but he thought that'd be too rude. Sighing in frustration, Zuko answered, "Mai? Ty Lee? I didn't know you guys are here". Zuko thought that he had no choice but to approach them. He guessed that hanging out with them a bit wouldn't hurt anyway.

"Yeah, we just wanted to visit and play with you and Azula! Thought that we'll wait here, we already told Azula we're coming. Oh yeah… where's Azula?" Ty Lee asked as she started to flex her upper body limbs.

"Uhm, well… I'm a bit busy now. I gotta study few stuffs, and… I'm not sure where Azula is right now" Zuko answered, while scratching the back of his head with his right hand. Zuko walked closer to those two girls and stood in front of them, not wanting to sit down and join them. Sometimes he just can't handle Ty Lee talking too much and too loud.

Upon hearing this, Ty Lee frowned a bit and sat back on the fountain's edge. "Aww well… I guess we'll just have to wait again! Hey Mai, why haven't you said anything? Zuko is here, cmoonn don't be ruude!" Ty Lee said as she slowly leaned in close to Mai, with a big grin on her face.

Mai suddenly blushed and looked down, and stuttered, "Uh-uhm.. well, I-I didn't-". Mai was cut by a sudden surprised, as Ty Lee leaped and stood on the fountain's edge. Ty Lee began flexing her arms and legs, doing her athletic circus movements as always.

"Hey hey, Zuko! Look at this new move I can do! I've been practicing for daayyss and daays. It's soo hard but but, I think I could finally do it!" Ty Lee exclaimed as she tried showing of her new difficult move. Ty Lee tried flipping her torso to the back so that her head came out from between her legs. She kept her hands on the edge as she tried to keep balance. She then slowly lifted her legs up, but suddenly her left leg slipped.

"Aaarggh!" Ty Lee yelled as she fell into the fountain, water splashing everywhere. Mai and Zuko was now soaked really badly. Ty Lee sit up, half of her was still submerged in the water. Upon looking Mai and Zuko's annoyed face, Ty Lee smiled apologetically and said, "Oops… ehehe, sorry guys. Guess I'm still not able to do it haha"

"Ugghh! Now I gotta change again!" Zuko said madly, as he stomped away. As he was now far from the two girls, he said to himself "I can't believe it… Girls… Should've pretended I didn't hear them"

As he got inside, water dripping from his clothes onto the hallways long carpet, he saw Azula few meters away. _Huh about time she shows up! I wonder what she's been telling mom…_ Zuko thought to himself as he got closer and closer to Azula.

As they're now standing in front of each other, Azula smirked. "Well, well… look who's been having fun" Azula chuckled.

"Ugh shut up Azula. Mai and Ty Lee are here at the garden, they're waiting for you" said Zuko, as he tried to untie his top knot hair.

"Mhm, I know that. They told me they were coming" Azula said with a bored look on her face, while she's checking her fingernails.

"Then don't keep your friends waiting. It looks like they've been waiting forever. Now look what happened to me because of their boredom! Ughh" exclaimed Zuko, becoming more irritated as he's having a hard time untying his top knot.

Azula looked up to Zuko, who's still tugging his top knot. "Yeahh, friends... mhmm, oh well" said Azula as she walked, and brushed past Zuko.

"Urghh" Zuko growled as his sister brushed past him. He hated it when Azula did that and sadly... she did that a lot, it's so annoying. Actually, Zuko just hated it when anyone walked and brushed past him, either intentionally or not. Suddenly, remembering about Azula being dragged by Ursa to tell about the things she knew, Zuko called out to her, "Hey Azula! How's it going with mom? What did you tell her about? You haven't finished telling me about it…"

Azula stopped on her tracks, and turned her head a bit to look at Zuko from her shoulders. She smirked a bit, then turned back and started walking again while saying, "Hmm.. nahh Zu-Zu, sorry but ain't telling you. You can't keep a promise. Don't think you can ever"

Zuko annoyed by Azula's remarks, replied back, "Yeah whatever Azula. It's not like I'm believing you anyway! I bet it's just a lie, you like to make up things!"

* * *

"Ahh… taking a bath really does helps my mood" Katara said to herself as she's drying her hair with a towel, in front of a big mirror. Then she suddenly got an idea. _Wait… what if, I could bend the water dry from my whole body? I gotta try that!_ Katara thought to herself.

Getting excited, she tried to focus and bend the water off her body. Scrunching her nose, constraining hard… and it worked! Happy with the result, Katara was smiling broadly as she bend the water away to a nearby pot. "Omg, I can't believe it worked! Wow… I can't believe I could do that. I should practice more!" But then remembering her situation again, her happy face faded away and was replaced with a sad look.

Katara picked up her clothes and started to dress. She realized that some parts of her clothes were torn, especially the hems. She sighed deeply. Her clothes surely didn't fit to be worn in the fire nation. It's way too thick, and she thought that she probably wouldn't be able to survive the heat, in her water tribe clothes.

 _Oh well, what could I do? It's the only clothes I have… I really do hope someone might give me new ones. Even though I think it's probably impossible. I don't even know my situation here. I don't even understand why am I not in some fire nation prison._ As Katara finished dressing, she walked towards the door to go back to her bedroom. When she got into her bedroom, she saw a figure sitting on the bed.

"Ka-Kana?" Katara asked with widened eyes. She immediately walked faster towards Kana. She hasn't known Kana for a long time, but it feels great to finally see someone else after being and feeling alone. Especially someone of her own kind in this foreign nation.

Kana was surprised and looked up to see Katara. Kana stood up and tapped her hands on the spot where she was sitting, as to fix the bed cover. "Oh Katara, I'm so sorry. I came here to check on you, but saw that you're not in the room. But then I heard water splashing so I thought you must be in the bathroom. Soo I decided to wait here" said Kana as she smiled widely, then continued, "I also brought you new clothes! And also tea"

Katara beamed upon hearing this, she smiled and hopped on to the bed. "Yay, thanks! I thought that I wouldn't be getting any new clothes. My old one is kind of… torn. Plus, it's really thick so I don't think I could handle the heat" Then Katara looked towards the bundle of new clothes on the edge of the bed. After realizing that all of her new clothes were red, black, and golden trims, her smile faded away.

"Katara? What's the matter?" asked Kana with a sad look on her face. Kana then moved closer to Katara and gently put her palm on Katara's left hand, as to try to comfort her.

"It's… it's nothing really. I like my new clothes. I guess… I should change soon" Katara answered. She closed her eyes and deeply sighed. She thought that it's finally time to ask Kana what was going on. Katara slowly opened her eyes, looked up to Kana and asked, "Kana, what's going on? I don't even know how long I've been here. In the fire nation. I don't remember what happened to me, how I got here, and why. And… if I really am in the fire nation then, shouldn't I be in some prison?"

Kana retreated her hand and deeply sighed. Her eyebrows pressed together, her face looked frustrated. She knew that Katara would ask things, and the hardest part was that she must lie about some things. "Katara… it's… it's really hard to explain. I'm not… I'm not in position to explain too much. In a mean time, you will know and understand… things. All I could say for now is that yes, you are in the fire nation. More precisely, you're in the palace. But-"

Kana was cut as Katara's gaze suddenly went wide, and shouted, "What?! I'm in the palace?! That's impossible! What's going on?! Why-"

"Katara! Please, here me out!" Kana raised her voice as she shook Katara's shoulder a bit. "Katara… I was about to tell you that you're safe. Trust me, you're safe here. You're not in danger at all. But then again, I can't say much as I'm in no position to. I'm here to take care of you okay?"

Katara looked down and sighed. She felt so helpless, so weak, so vulnerable. "Okay… I understand. I guess… I have to accept my fate now"

Kana took the teacup from the table next to the bed, and gave it to Katara. It really hurts Kana to do this, she didn't want to. But if she ever denied Ozai's order, it would be the end of her and her family. Even if she wanted to pretend to give Katara the 'tea', Ozai would always had a way to find out things.

"Here, a warm nice cup of tea for you. It'll make you feel calm. I can't tell you much, but in a few days you'll get the explanation soon. For now, you rest" Kana told Katara. Katara just sat there on the bed, holding her teacup and looked down.

"Well, it's almost midnight now… you should change clothes, and take some rest again" Kana said to Katara.

"Well, I'm not sleepy yet. And besides... I'm not in the mood to go to sleep too" said Katara, as she took a little bit sip of the tea.

Kana didn't know what to say to Katara, but then suddenly remembered that she had to be Katara's caretaker and… friend. Closing her eyes and clenching her fists in frustration, she tried to find some topic to talk to Katara. She thought that it wouldn't hurt to have a conversation anyway. Opening her eyes, Kana looked to Katara and asked, "Oh yeah, I haven't ask about your age Katara. How old are you?"

"I'm 9 years old. I'll be 10 soon though" Katara answered with a solemn tone in her voice, without looking up to Kana.

"Ah I see… you're still very young. Ah yes, you should tell me a bit about Sokka" Kana then cursed herself inwardly as words slipped from her mouth. She just realized what she had asked. She didn't mean to ask Katara about her family. She was supposed to make Katara forget of her past. Kana just wanted to be nice and friendly.

Katara suddenly furrowed her eyebrows then looked up to Kana. She looked confused, and asked, "Sokka? Who's Sokka?"

* * *

Author's note : Reviews and comments please! The more, the happier I am! Lol kidding it'll motivate me. Also, please tell me how you guys feel about this chapter. Not just the story, but how I wrote and described things. I wanted to describe it in details so you guys won't get confused, but I was also worried that I wrote too much. I thought it'd probably make you feel bored. So yeah, please do tell so I could improve more! Here, I'll give you all the sweet cookies I've baked myself 3


	5. Chapter 5 - A New Friend

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : To some people still concerning about their ages... Katara is 9 years old but she'll turn 10 soon, and Zuko is 11 years old about to be 12 soon. Also, I made a little mistake on the previous chapter. When Zuko was young, he had a ponytail. Not a top knot lol. Oh and, I've change some of the concept/symbolism in this story than the original one. You'll find it out.

CHAPTER 5 – A New Friend

 _3 days later…_

"Uughh booored…" Zuko deeply sighed. Zuko haven't done anything much since that morning. His mother and father were busy, and he wasn't in the mood to train at all. He found himself sitting below the willow tree in the private royal garden, watching his sister burning some plants and flowers. "Azula, seriously… why do you keep doing that? It takes time for those plants to grow again, you know" said Zuko, as he folded his hands in front of his chest.

"Be quiet Zuko. There's nothing more fun than destroying things" Azula answered, without looking at her brother and continued doing her thing. "Besides, why do you even care that it takes time for them to grow back?" Azula turned to face Zuko, then continued, "This is what we, fire nation people do, Zuko. We bring people down. We bring things down. Gosh Zuko, you're so pathetic"

Zuko furrowed his eyebrows, unfolded his hands and slowly stood up, "Whatever Azula. There's nothing wrong with caring for other lives you know"

"Tch!" Azula stuck her nose up while flicking her front bangs. "Anyway Zu-zu, since you're oh so boored. Why don't we check on that little waterbender? Everyone seems busy anyway, no one would notice" she said with a smirk on her face.

Upon hearing this, Zuko straighten his body and slowly walked towards Azula, "Oh yeah, the waterbender. We haven't met her yet. But is it okay for us to see her though?" said Zuko as he lowered his voice on his last sentence, as to make sure no one heard him. Even though there's no one else in the garden, but the two siblings.

"Who cares, Zuko? We're the royal family of the fire nation. We could do anything we want. Besides, remember what mom told us? We have to meet her sooner or later, cuz as I said days ago… she'll be our new family member"

* * *

"Aaww, do you reeaalllyy have to go now, Kana?" Katara asked, as she looked up to Kana with pleading puppy eyes.

Kana chuckled, then kneeled in front of Katara to match her height. It's been around only a week since Katara's arrival at fire nation, but Kana had already begun developing feelings towards this little girl. She can't help it but cared for Katara like her own daughter.

Kana tucked a hair strand behind Katara's left ear, and said, "I'm sorry dear, I have some important business to attend to. I'll come back tonight, you know I always do Katara"

Katara looked down with such sad eyes, "Yeah I know… but, I still want to learn waterbending with you. I'm so happy I could finally have someone to teach me"

"Oh, Katara. I'm not gone forever haha, I'll come back later okay? I am here to take care of you, remember? I'm also here to teach you waterbending, I'll turn you into a master waterbender in the future!" said Kana as she smiled widely.

"Yayy! Thanks a lot Kana. Really, I appreciate it a lot. For everything…" Katara smiled back to Kana.

"Oh no need to thank me, dear! I just want to… help you" Kana pulled Katara into a tight embrace. "Now, remember. You may go around the hallways. You know where the library is too right? Yesterday the guards told me that they brought you there, when you decided where to explore for the first time. But don't go farther than that, understand?" Kana told Katara with a serious tone, and a stern gaze.

Katara nodded, "Yes, understood. I won't go anywhere farther than the library"

Kana then stood up and walked towards the door. With one last look from her shoulders, Kana waved to Katara, "Bye Katara, I'll see you again tonight okay? Take care of yourself for now, and be safe" And with that, Kana left Katara alone once again, in that big spacious bedroom.

Katara sighed deeply. _Well, what am I suppose to do now? Should I practice more of my waterbending? Hmm… nah, I'm still too tired._ Katara thought to herself, as she walked towards the fireplace on the right corner of the room. As Katara sat down on the fluffy rug in front of the fireplace, she suddenly heard murmurs from behind the front doors.

"Prince Zuko! Princess Azula! Yes… we… she's here… left… right away" Katara couldn't make out some of the words. Katara thought those voices must have come from the two guards, which always stood outside by the front bedroom door.

 _Huh, I wonder what's going on? And who's… Prince Zuko and Princess Azula? Don't tell me…_ Katara slowly stood up, worry filled her heart. She was about to walk towards the door, but immediately stopped as she saw the door being opened.

Two young figures came into her bedroom. One was a girl with the same height as Katara, and one was a boy who's a feet taller. They both wore noble fire nation clothes, and their faces looked pretty similar. Katara thought that they must be siblings. _Wait, who…? Maybe they're Prince Zuko and Princess Azula._

Azula and Zuko stopped on their tracks, five meters away from Katara. Azula stepped forward a bit and put her hands on her hips. With a smirk on her face, she said to Katara, "Well, well… so this is the waterbender"

Katara didn't even know this girl yet, but she felt such dark and arrogant aura coming from her.

"Who-who, are you?" Katara asked, as she clutched both of her hands on her chest.

"I'm Azula, Princess of The Fire Nation. And this-" Azula said as she pointed to Zuko with her right thumb, "This is my older brother, Zuko. Prince of The Fire Nation. What's your name, peasa-"

"Ouch! Zuko!" Azula shouted and sneered at Zuko, as he punched Azula's upper hand lightly.

Zuko leaned a bit closer to Azula, "Remember what our mom told us! We should be nice to her! She'll be our sister too, you should be polite to her Azula" Zuko said behind his teeth in a low voice, as to make sure Katara didn't hear him.

"Ugh" Azula rolled her eyes, "Anyway… the place where huh I don't know, waterbenders came from. How was it like?" Azula asked Katara with a boring look on her face.

Katara stood up straighter and answered, "My name's Katara and… well it's all white with a shade of blue. Because it's always snowing, so… everywhere is ice. And um… it's always cold too"

"Gah, boring", "Oh, wow!" Azula and Zuko said in unison.

Azula huffed and turned on her heels to leave the room, "I'm leaving, gonna train firebending" she said as she waved dismissively to Zuko. "Go ahead and have a chat with her or whatever"

As the front door was closed, Zuko turned to look at Katara. For the first time, he was really looking at her and noticed… how big and blue her eyes were. He had never seen such blue eyes. Her eyes stood out even more, from the light of the fireplace behind her. Especially, the fact that she was wearing red and black clothes. _Wow her eyes… are… beautiful. They seem so full of… life._ Zuko thought to himself, and shook is head a bit to come back to his senses.

Zuko wanted to speak but found it hard to. He wanted to talk, but he didn't know what and how. "Uhm… Hi. My na-name is Prince Zuko, bu-but you can just call me Zuko…" He said shyly, as he looked down while scratching the back of his head.

Katara was confused as to how she felt. Or maybe, should felt. She was still confused with her whole situation, and pretty much baffled. She was especially surprised, that the prince and princess of the fire nation had come to see her... in her own bedroom. Sure the two siblings were just little kids like Katara, but the fact that they're from the fire nation still scared her a bit.

Katara felt that Zuko's aura wasn't that bad. It wasn't as bad as Azula's. In fact… she thought that he might be okay. She had just met him, but somehow she felt that he… could be, a good person. Katara had always been pretty good at reading people. Even though she's still young, she has learned a lot about people.

"Hi... my name's Katara. Uh um, ni-nice meeting you… Zuko" said Katara with a little smile on her face, trying to be polite and nice. Then Zuko slowly looked up, straight to her eyes. That's when she really saw him.

Katara had never seen such bright golden eyes. Sure, he was from the fire nation but… his eyes seemed so different from the rest. Yes you could tell the differences between a noble's eyes and a commoner's, but that's just not about it. Most fire nation people had anger in their eyes. Pride, arrogance, and power. But Zuko… his eyes held something else. His eyes were so full of… passion. His eyes seemed like it really did reflect his inner soul.

Zuko stood up straighter and walked up towards Katara. He held his hands to shake with her, and Katara accepted it. Zuko smiled, "Nice meeting you too, Katara! Oh um, how old are you?"

"I'm 9 years old. About to be 10 soon… in um, around 3 months" Katara answered, while looking at Zuko from under her lashes.

"Oh the same as my sister then! She's also 9 years old, she'll be 10 in 1 month though. I'm about to be 12 soon" Zuko then looked around a bit and said, "Say… Katara. Don't you feel bored now? This room seems boring, don't you wanna do something?"

Katara's eyes widened a bit and blushed. She was bored and wanted to get out of her bedroom more than anything. She felt a bit awkward being with him only, she had just met him. But she was way too annoyed by not being able to explore or go out, for who knows how long. She decided that it's probably safe and okay to hangout with the fire nation prince. "Ye-yeah, sure. I guess I have nothing to do here anyway"

Zuko didn't know what came over him. He's not really one to easily socialize with others, let alone making friends. Yes he could be friendly and polite, but he rather be alone. Stuck in a book, training, writing, or anything else was better than hanging out with others. He found it a waste of time and energy, if he could do something productive instead. But somehow, this time… he wanted to spend some time with this girl. He wanted to know more about her.

"Okay, I bet you're so bored being in this bedroom for too long. Let's go out to the private royal garden and get some fresh air, okay?" Zuko asked, as he offered his right hand again to Katara.

Katara hesitated for a moment, but eventually took his hand. They both didn't know what happened, but that first contact felt unusually… sparking. Katara looked down as to hide her blush, "Yeah sure. I'd be happy to"

* * *

As Katara and Zuko reached the garden, Katara's eyes widened at the view. "Oh wow, Zuko! The garden is beautiful!" Katara said as she ran towards the pond beneath the willow tree.

 _Quack! Quack!_

"Oh!" Katara was surprised to see such animal floating on the pond. She never saw an animal like that, "What kind of animal is that Zuko? I've never seen such kind" asked Katara, as she pointed at it.

Zuko smiled, and stood right beside Katara, "These are turtle ducks! See, it's a duck with a turtle shell on top of it's body. And look there! Those are her baby chicks!" exclaimed Zuko, as he pointed to some smaller turtle ducks, swimming behind the bigger one. "Do you want to feed them?" Zuko asked Katara with an exciting look on his face.

"Oh, you can? Yes, yes! I would love to feed them, aww they look so cuutte!" Katara was so excited. She's so happy she's finally able to get out of her boring room, and finally getting some fresh air. She never thought that the fire nation could have something like this.

"Okay then, wait here. I'm gonna go to that bench over there. Usually, someone would leave turtle duck's food in a tiny pouch" Zuko said as he went to the bench across the pond.

 _Huh... maybe, the fire nation isn't so so bad after all. I still won't trust anyone though. But… Zuko seems really nice._ Katara thought to herself. She looked at the turtle ducks and it reminded her of her family. Oh how she still felt so lost and a stranger to this foreign nation. Day by day, she can't help it but notice that she forgot more and more about her hometown. She even started to forget about her family, even her parents' faces. Whenever she tried to remember them, their faces came into a blur.

Katara still wondered what could've happened? She still hoped that maybe soon enough, someone would come there and save her. She kind of hoped that Kana would help her, but that's just impossible. Kana seemed to be one of the fire nation people now, even though Katara knew Kana had no choice. Katara knew that Kana told her the fire nation held her family captive.

"Hey Katara!" Katara looked up to see Zuko walked towards her, holding a tiny red pouch with his right hand. Zuko stop in front of Katara, and opened up the pouch, "Aha! I knew it. Look, some breadcrumbs! These turtle ducks love to eat it, you should feed them. Here…" Zuko offered the pouch to Katara.

Thoughts about her family and hometown left immediately, as Katara accepted the pouch happily. She kneeled down in front of the pond, and was about to feed the turtle ducks with breadcrumbs right from her palm, when Zuko stopped her. "No, wait! You should just throw the breadcrumbs to the pond, they'll eat it. Turtle duck mother is very protective of her babies" Zuko explained to Katara.

"Ah, okay then" Katara stood up slowly, and began throwing breadcrumbs to the pond. She watched them eating, and she became lost in her thoughts again. She really missed eating together with others. She still remembered bits of her having dinner together with her tribe. They used to sit around the campfire, and shared stories to each other. But then her trance was broke as Zuko suddenly asked her a question.

"So Katara… you told me that your hometown was full of… ice? You said that it's always snowing and it's cold. I wonder, what kind of animals do you have there?" asked Zuko with such curiosity in his voice.

Katara smiled warmly at him, thinking that he must really be a good person. He seemed like he cared to ask about my hometown at least. "Well, since it's always so cold… all of the animals there have thick furs. They usually have pale white furs like polar bears and polar foxes, except for penguins. Penguins have slick furs but they don't get cold because of the thick fat, beneath their skins. I find penguins to be the cutest animal ever!"

"Oh wow, that's cool! Why do you find them cute?" Zuko asked as he tilted his head to the side.

Katara blushed and looked down a bit, with a smile on her face she answered, "Uh-uhm well… cuz penguins mate for life. When a penguin met it's partner, they stay together forever! And they always go anywhere, together. I think it's cute, and sweet" Katara giggled.

"Aw haha! That's really nice then" Zuko smiled, as he blushed a bit. "So, Katara… what about plants? Or flowers? Do you have any of them there?"

"Nope, we don't" Katara shook her head, "The air and ground is always too cold for plants to grow, let alone flowers. They can't handle the cold air. So… seeing all these plants in this garden just made me so happy. Cause um… I actually, ne-never saw one… I never left the pole"

Zuko seemed to be deep in thoughts, as he tapped his chin with his finger. "Hmm… wait here, I'll be back in a sec!" said Zuko, as he suddenly stood up and walked around the willow tree, where some bushes grew there.

"Huh, wa-wait! Where are you going?!" Katara stood up but didn't move from her spot. Three seconds later Zuko came back into the view, holding something red on his right hand.

"Look, it's a flower! This is a Fire Lily. It's a very popular flower, but quite a rare one too" Zuko gave the five petals flower with yellow streaks to Katara. "This flower is considered… special to our people" Zuko added.

"Oh wooww, it's so beautiful! I love this kind of red, it looks somehow… hmm I don't know how to say it…" Katara furrowed her eyebrows, "But anyway, why is it special?"

Zuko seemed to blushed and turned his head to look the other way, "Oh um cuz… well, usually someone would give that to the he or she loves. You know, like to your… uh um, soulmate. So that's why when people marry here, the groom would put lots of Fire Lilies to his bride's hair. It's also a symbolism to ever lasting love. But uh, I don't know the origin of it…"

Upon hearing this, Katara blushed deeply. She looked at the flower on her hands and observed it's details. _It is really pretty and… unique. It stands out from the other flowers._ She thought to herself. As she looked up to the sky, she realized it's almost evening and she needed to get back to her room, before Kana did.

"Oh no! It's almost evening, sorry um. I have to go back, Kana's gonna check soon and she'll be worry if I'm not there. Thanks for taking me here and showing me around, Zuko. I appreciate it" Katara said, as she immediately ran towards the big arch doors, into the hallways of the palace.

"Hey, wait! Do you even know the way back! I'll take you there!" Zuko shouted as he reached out his hand to Katara, who's still running with the Fire Lily he gave her.

"It's okay!" Katara answered as she looked back from her shoulders, "I remember the way, thaanks!"

* * *

"Good work, Kana. I expected less actually" Ozai told Kana with that usual smirk on his face, without looking at her. "How was her waterbending though?"

"She was… I would say she is talented. She's still young, her moves weren't perfect of course. But… she is talented I must say" Kana answered with a conflicted expression on her face. She wanted to lie about some things, but she had no courage too. She kept thinking about her family's safety. Kana kept trying to make a plan on how to help Katara secretly, thinking that maybe one day… Katara could escape and safe herself. Kana really hoped so.

"As expected. Keep training her. You may as well train her in the royal training room. Two more days, and I will meet her" said Ozai as he turned and sat on his chair, and began flipping some paper scrolls on his work desk.

"Yes, sire" Kana said as she bowed slightly, "But… if I bring Katara to the royal training room, wouldn't Prince Zuko and Princess Azula questioned her?"

Ozai stopped what he was doing as he looked up at Kana under his brows, then looked back down to his papers. "Do not mind about them. They already know. You are dismissed" and with a wave of his hand, Kana bowed and left the room.

* * *

Author's note : Tell me if this chapter is a bit too long or not. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, I love cute baby Katara and Zuko haha. Anyway again, opinions and comments are always welcome! 3


	6. Chapter 6 - Accepting Her Fate

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

CHAPTER 6 – Accepting Her Fate

 _2 days later…_

Katara woke up with her head throbbing. She slowly pushed herself up to sit with her elbows, trying to focus on her vision. "Ughh… what's with this headache, again? Maybe… maybe I trained too hard yesterday" she said to herself, as she pressed her palm on to her forehead.

Memories came back to her. She had been training with Kana in the royal training room since 2 days ago. Katara had learned new difficult movements and techniques. She was quite frustrated at first though. She practiced so hard… she didn't want to disappoint Kana. But Kana told her that she's a fast learner, and that she's born with a talent.

Katara then remembered the next morning after that. She went to the training room and she saw Zuko and Azula. They were both training with their personal firebending master, Guang Zho. His hair was almost all grey, styled in a traditional fire nation topknot. He had grey long thin mustache. Katara thought maybe he was in his 60s. But even so, his body was still lean and strong.

When Katara came into view, Zuko saw her and waved to her as to say hi. Master Guang shouted at Zuko for not paying attention, and easily got distracted. He punished him to run around the training arena 20 times, and 15 pushups. Katara thought that he was being way too mean and harsh, especially… to Zuko. Katara noticed that Guang rarely complimented Zuko, even though Zuko did his moves correctly. But whenever it was Azula's turn to move, Guang always made good remarks on her. He kept complimenting her, and if Azula made a mistake… Guang would only explain about the flaw a little and how to correct them. Katara felt pity for Zuko, she thought Guang wasn't being fair.

" _Amazing, Princess Azula! Very impressive indeed" Guang exclaimed as he slowly applaud._

 _With a smirk on her face, Azula flick her front bangs and looked at Zuko, "Haha. Seee Zu-zu? This move isn't that hard, and you can't even do it. You're pathetic"_

 _Zuko furrowed his eyebrows and growled internally. He started to steady his stance and tried to do the difficult move again, but he failed. It seemed that he couldn't balance his left leg, and he fell hard on his bottom. "Ouchh!"_

" _Hahaha, gosh Zu-zu. You really are pitiful. You can never do anything right" Azula taunted Zuko._

 _Zuko trying so hard to hold back his tears, slowly stood up and looked up at Guang, "I'm trying, I-I think that… I just need to practice more. It's hard to balance my left leg"_

 _Guang crossed his arms in front of his chest, and rolled his eyes, "Prince Zuko, do not complain and make up reasons. I am here to train and teach you to be a better Prince of The Fire Nation as well. Do not be weak"_

As Katara remembered, she felt even sadder for Zuko. Why was he being treated that way she wondered, "Oh.. poor Zuko" Katara didn't know why, she just met Zuko but she started to care for him like a friend. She thought that maybe she's just lonely. After all… the only children she had ever met with the same age, were only Zuko and Azula. She had no choice but to try befriend them. Even though it was hard with Azula. Katara noticed that every time she tried talking to Azula, she seemed bored or uninterested. Resulting her leaving Katara alone with Zuko.

"Oh well, I think it's time to take a good morning bath…" Katara said to herself as she got out of bed. As she was walking towards the bathroom, she heard someone knocked on the front door. She stopped on her track, "Yeess! Come iiin!" Katara shouted. _Huh, I wonder who would come such early…_ She thought.

The door opened and Kana came into view. Katara saw Kana was holding a bundle of red clothes. "Hello there Katara, I've come here to bring you some formal clothing" Kana smiled as she walked towards the bed, and put the clothe on the bed.

"Formal clothing? You mean… a dress?" Katara asked, one eyebrow rose. She walked towards the bed and touched the red clothing with her slim fingers. It felt so soft. "Huh, is this… what they called, silk?"

"Yes Katara, it's silk. And no, it's not a dress… almost like a dress, but more like an outfit actually" Kana answered, somehow… with a grim look on her face.

Katara lifted up to see the outfit. It's a simple long arm clothing with layered skirt that touched the floor, with gold trims on its hems. It also had that traditional fire nation pointy shoulders, which were two layers of it. And a turtle neck with some gold embroidery.

"Umm... what's this for?" Katara asked with curiosity in her voice.

Kana closed her eyes and clenched her jaws. She deeply sighed, and slowly opened her eyes. Kana looked straight to Katara's eyes as she said, "Katara… it's time for you to know the… truth. Someone you will, uhm, must see right now. He will explain things to you. But he expected you to be dressed formally. I can't say whom, I'm not allowed to. You will know soon. I'm here to take you to him"

Katara got confused even more, and felt a bit scared. "Uh um, okay then… I'll take a quick bath first" Katara walked towards the bathroom with the dress on her hands.

As Katara disappeared into the bathroom, Kana huffed and plopped down on to the bed. She stared at her hands, "I can't believe how many I've said this… but, I'm… I'm so sorry Katara" Kana said to herself.

* * *

As Katara was finished with everything, she told Kana that she's ready. They began walking in the long hallways of the palace with awkward silence, guarded by two guards that had always been standing in front of Katara's bedroom. Katara never felt such terrible silence with Kana. _Something's off about Kana… I wonder why. She seemed so serious and… gloomy somehow. Now she's making me worry too._ Katara thought to herself.

They finally turned right into a smaller hallway with many windows on each side. In the end of the hallway, was a big door carved with a fire nation symbol. There, stood two tall guards holding long spears, on each side of the door.

As Katara and Kana stopped in front of the door, Kana looked down on Katara, "This is as far as I could go with you. You have to go there alone. Trust me, nothing's wrong Katara… you'll be safe. I'll be waiting here outside" explained Kana, as she hesitantly put her hand on Katara's left shoulder. "Guards…" Kana said to the two guards in front of them. The guards opened the big door for Katara, and she went in without looking back to Kana.

She was now in a large room, for what it appeared to be a private office. Clearly for someone who's royalty, she thought. The room had many tall bookshelves and stacks of paper rolls, but everything seemed to be in order and neat. Far in front of her, was a big fireplace on the middle of the wall. Then, her eyes trailed to the work desk in front of it. She saw a figure, sitting on a big chair. His eyes were piercing and full of menace. Burning into her cold blue eyes.

This man had long sleek black hair, and was styled into a topknot. He wore a fire nation crown. This man smirked a bit, and waved his right hand as to tell Katara to come closer. "Come closer, Katara. Have a seat" the man said, as he pointed to a small chair in front of his desk. Katara complied, and took small steps towards him and sat down.

"So, Katara… tell me, how are you feeling right now?" he asked Katara, never leaving his eyes on her.

Katara bowed her head slightly and looked down, she was too afraid to look at him. "I-I'm feeling… fine. Th-Thank you" She started to fiddled the hems of her long arm clothing.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you" he said sternly, as if he was ordering her. Katara thought that he must be a high ranked royalty of the fire nation. He seemed intimidating, and from the way he talked… he's used to give commands to others.

"Y-yes, I'm sorry…" Katara looked up, and shivered under his gaze.

"Good… Now, do you know who I am? And why you are here?" He slowly stood up, turned his back on Katara, and walked to the fireplace behind him.

"No, I… I don't know" Katara was getting more nervous and afraid the longer she stayed in this room, talking to this mysterious man.

"I am Prince Ozai. Second son of Fire Lord Azulon" he paused with a grinned on his face, knowing how shocked Katara was to hear his statement. He heard her little gasp, then continued, "You are here because sadly… you were casted out by your own family. Your own tribe" Now, Ozai fully turned around to see Katara holding her hands up to her mouth, eyes widened with tears.

"Bu-but… no, no! I don't believe this… why? What happened?!" Katara tried so hard to hold back her tears but she couldn't, as they now fall freely from her eyes.

"When they found out you were the last waterbender, they thought that it's a curse. They thought it would only bring destruction, and suffering to the whole tribe. And so they casted you out, or… should I say, banished you!" Ozai explained with a feeling of triumph inside of him.

"I-I… I can't… believe this" Katara shook her head, "I still can't remember anything what happened before I got here… I… Then I… Maybe it's true then"

"Don't try to remember what happened. After all, it was bitter, right? Let go of your past, and accept your fate. We found you and thought you're worth keeping, for that remarkable… talent of yours. You should thank me, Katara. This will be your new home now" said Ozai, as he took a step closer to Katara.

"Bu-but… how do you know of my waterbending abilities? And if I'm that talented?" Katara asked, as she slowly looked up to Ozai.

Even though she's a waterbender, Ozai applauded internally for Katara being smart. "We just knew, we had our own ways" Ozai looked away from Katara and said, "Well, that's it for now… you will now meet someone else who will explain to you more. I already told Kana to take you to her"

* * *

Kana heard the door cracked opened, and so she immediately stood up from the tiny sofa near the window. Kana walked towards Katara, and noticed that her eyes were a bit red and glassy. Kana felt her stomach sink and guiltier than ever. "Katara...? Are you... okay, my dear?"

Katara answered with a solemn tone without looking at Kana, "Yes… I'm fine. Prince Ozai told me to meet someone… and you'll take me to her"

"Ah yes, right. You will now meet Princess Urs-"

"You did already know… didn't you? You knew about this all along…" Katara said as she slowly looked up at Kana, with tears in her eyes.

Kana clenched her jaws and furrowed her eyebrows. She knew she couldn't back down on this one, "Ye-yes… I'm sorry" Kana looked away towards the window to her left, "I did know. I'm sorry, Katara. I just… I'm not able to tell you. I'm not allowed to" Kana sighed deeply. She wanted to embrace Katara but then retreated her hands back, as Katara flinched away from her.

"Uhm… Anyway, let's just get going now"

Katara, Kana, and the two other guards, walked the long hallways of the palace again. Then, they stopped in front of a big wooden door carved with a fire nation insignia. This time, the door seemed to be smaller than Ozai's office front door. Katara heard murmurs of a small crowd coming from inside the room. She also heard some voices that sounded like kids playing.

"Okay, Katara. This time, I'm able to accompany you insi-"

Kana was cut of as Katara suddenly said in a stern voice, while clenching her tiny fists, "No. I'm coming in alone. Guards?" The guards opened the door for her, and Katara went inside without looking back, just like before.

Katara was now in a medium sized hall room, filled with dark pillars on each side with fire torches hanging from it. This room had only three slim windows on each side, and some paintings hanging on the wall. Then, she noticed the tiny crowd in the middle of the hall.

She saw Zuko, standing beside a tall womanly figure. He was talking to another boy, a bit older from his age. And from what Katara had picked up, his name was Lu Ten. Besides Lu Ten, stood an old round belly man, who seemed so happy by watching Zuko and Lu Ten talked. Then, Katara trailed her eyes a bit to the right, and saw Azula playing together with two other girls who seemed to be the same age. Azula then called them out, Mai and Ty Lee.

Katara felt a bit awkward, and wished that she should've let Kana came in with her. But she was being stubborn and angry at Kana for not telling her anything. Katara decided to take little steps towards the crowd. And when she thought she's close enough on earshot, she said, "Uh uhm… um, ex-excuse me? I uh…" The crowd immediately turned their heads towards her, and everything went silent.

"Kataraa, hey!" waved Zuko.

"Katara? Who's that, Azula?" asked Ty Lee as she put her hands on her hips, and bent her body forward.

"She's the waterbender I told you about" Azula answered while picking her fingernails.

"Ooohh, I see! Oh wow, she's pretty! I've never seen anyone with such blue eyes!" Ty Lee exclaimed, as her eyes widened with amusement.

"Ugh, won't you stop that, Ty Lee?" Mai said with her expressionless face.

Zuko was about to walk towards Katara, but stopped as the womanly figure beside him put her hand on his shoulder. "Now, kids. I'm sorry but why don't you guys play somewhere else. I need to attend something important here. General Iroh, if you would excuse me?"

Katara then knew that the old man was General Iroh. This is the first time Katara saw this man, but somehow… his tired eyes shined with wisdom and intelligence. "Oh no no, Lady Ursa. I'm the one who should be excused, haha. It's tea time for me anyway!" Iroh turned on his heels and before walking away, gave Katara a warm smile.

When everyone was out of the room, Katara felt even more awkward to be left alone with this woman she didn't know of. She was a tall, lean, and slim woman. She had long black hair, tied into a topknot. She also wore a fire nation crown on her hair. Her eyes resembled Zuko and Azula a lot, so Katara thought that maybe she's their mother. But her eyes seemed to be full of sadness and tiredness.

"Hello, Katara. I'm Princess Ursa, wife to Prince Ozai" Ursa said with a warm smile on her face. "I know that… you're confused and afraid, but please relax. I'm here to take care of you"

Upon hearing the last words, Katara flinched a bit and felt anger began to rise again. "Huh yeah, that's what Kana told me before she took me to Ozai" she said under her breath.

"Uh, I'm sorry, what did you say, dear?" Ursa asked with a worried look on her face, as she tilted her head to the side.

"I-I'm sorry, I was… yes, I was just confused. So, um, Prince Ozai told me to meet someone else… so…"

"Ah yes, of course. That's right, I'm here to explain you some things more personally. But before I start, I want to know that you're completely relax and calm. So… do you feel, okay? I know how many people have said they feel uncomfortable in this hall room" Ursa said as she waved her right hand around, as to show the room to Katara "We may go somewhere else if you want to"

Katara slowly looked up straight to Ursa's eyes, "Well… um, yeah I actually feel a bit uncomfortable here. If-if that's okay with you, I think that… the library would be okay? I really like it there"

"Ah the library!" Ursa chuckled a bit, "Just like Zuko, he also likes to be in the library a lot. Not just that he's a bookworm, it seems that he finds it comfortable there. Anyway, let's get going now"

When they went out of the room, Ursa dismissed Kana and told the guards not to follow them, as she knew how it made Katara uneasy. On their way to the library, Ursa asked simple questions to Katara. Like what her hobbies are, her interests, if she liked the clothes they had given her, also the food, and so on. Katara seemed to feel a lot more relax by talking to Ursa alone. She felt a strong but soothing motherly feeling coming from Ursa. That's when Katara started to miss her forgotten real family again. Oh how she wondered who her real parents were.

They finally came into a stop and went into the library. They sat on the soft red cushions in front of the fireplace. Ursa poured a hot jasmine tea for both of them. When Ursa felt that Katara was comfortable and relax enough, she decided to start the conversation.

"So, Katara. I'll just get to the point here. First of all, I really do mean you no harm. So you don't need to worry about anything, you're safe here" Ursa sighed, and took a deep breath, "I'll be honest, I do know that Ozai decided to take you in because of your waterbending abilities. It seems that he believes you're a very talented one. The fire sages told him so. But the reason 'why' he decided to take you here… I don't know"

"Wait, take me in? What do you mean by that?" Katara asked with a confused look on her face.

"That we're your new family now…" Ursa said, as she tightened her grip on the teacup.

"Oh…" Katara looked down with sad eyes, "Yeah well, he did tell me this will be my new home. So I guess, that's… what he meant"

Ursa looked at Katara, and can't help it but felt a great responsibility towards her. She slowly stood up from her cushion, and sat next to Katara. Ursa put her hands on Katara's palms, "I know how… confusing this whole situation is. I know that, everything seems so sudden to you too. And well… since we'll be your new family now, you may call me 'mom'. That is if you wan-"

"Thank you, mom" Katara said, as she looked up straight to Ursa's eyes. Katara smiled a genuine smile. "It's okay, I accept my fate. Besides… I still don't remember anything what happened before I got here. Plus, I don't even remember about my real parents anymore. I have… no one to call mom or dad. So, um… it's okay. Thanks"

Ursa smiled warmly to Katara, and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I will try my best to be a good mother for you Katara, even thought I will never be able to replace your real mother. I don't even want to, Katara. I just want to take care of you, okay?"

"Okay" Katara pulled away and wiped a single tear from her left eye, "Oh wait, does this means that… Zuko and Azula…"

"Ah yes!" Ursa chuckled, "They will be your family too! Since they're my kids, they're kind of your brother and sister too. Although, I doubt that haha. I do bet you'll make great friends with them. Um I mean, with Zuko especially. Please be patient with Azula though, she could be a bit… difficult sometimes"

Katara just nodded at this. She already knew how Zuko and Azula were like. She had seen them playing together, training together, and she knew that both didn't really get along. In fact, Azula just seemed like she never wanted to get along with anyone at all. At first, Katara thought Azula and Zuko were just playing but the more she paid attention… the more she felt that Azula liked to push around Zuko a lot.

"Anyway Katara, there are so so many things I would like to teach you. About our culture, ways, rules, and so on. But that'll take time, and I have an important meeting to attend to. Besides, I believe you would learn a lot just by hanging around here. You're a smart girl, Katara. I know it" Ursa then stood up to leave, "Oh and one more thing. From now on, you will have dinner together with us. Kana will take care of everything and show you the way"

* * *

"Oh wooww, so she'll be your sister then, Azula" Ty Lee said, while she flexed her body on the fountain's edge, like always.

When Ursa told the kids to leave, they decided to go hangout at the royal garden. It had always become their favorite place to play. Since it's a private royal garden, no one outside of the royal family dared to go there unless it's very urgent.

Ty Lee, as always, showed off her new circus moves while Azula just nodded and occasionally complimented her with no interest. Mai, on the other hand, had always been quiet and a bit shy. She just sat there and observed her surroundings. Zuko was playing with Lu Ten. Whenever Lu Ten came to play, he liked to tell Zuko the things he had learned from his father, General Iroh.

"Iyeapp, she'll be in the family. Even though, I won't 'see' her as my sister. Huh, it's not like I ever 'see' anyone as my siblings" Azula said with no care in the world.

"Huh, what?" "Wait, excuse me?" Ty Lee and Zuko said in unison.

Zuko turned to look at Azula, baffled, "I'm not… your sibling? Azula, I'm clearly your brother!"

"Yeah, whatever" Azula said as she flipped her front bangs.

Understanding the tension between them, Ty Lee decided to change the subject. She knew that Zuko and Azula had always been like this. Ty Lee felt a bit pity towards Zuko actually. There are times when she even thought that maybe Azula just never cared about anything. "Uhmm, anywaayy… tell me about her, Zuko"

Zuko raised his eyebrow, "Huh, you mean, Katara?"

"Of course, silly! Haha. I know you hanged out with her a few times, and it seems that… you get along preeetty weelll with her" Ty Lee said as she quickly glanced towards Mai, then back to Zuko. Ty Lee noticed Mai flinched a bit, and she seemed uncomfortable, even though she still hadn't said a single word.

"Hmm… well, she's… nice. I guess. She's okay to hangout with, true. She seems to be interested in the things that I do too. So I think that's a plus" said Zuko while tapping his chin with his forefinger.

"Ni-nice?" Mai suddenly said as she looked up to Zuko.

"Yeah, she is. I feel like, we could get along pretty easily"

Lu Ten crossed his hands on his chest, "Well, I still don't understand what's going on. I don't think I have the right to know, I bet it's kind of a secret. But whatever, anyway… I know I just saw her, but damn. She's pretty"

Zuko, not knowing why, felt uneasy when Lu Ten said this. He didn't know what he was feeling, but he just didn't like it. He felt strange about it.

"Seee! I told you guys. I really thought she's pretty. She's so… different. Or maybe cuz I just never met many water tribe people before. But I looove her eyes! They're so blue and biig!" exclaimed Ty Lee.

"Yes… Yes they are" said Zuko, more to himself, as he slowly walked closer towards the pond and stared at the water.

* * *

Author's note : Ok wooww, this chapter was loonger than I've expected it. But I just had to make it this way so I won't end it in an awkward scene. Oh and just a hint, the next chapter would be the last chapter of when Katara was 9/10 years old. But I still won't jump the time too much. I know it's probably a bit too long, but I just want to write in details how her early life will begin. Anyway, please leave some reviews and what not! :D Here all the coookies 3


	7. Chapter 7 - Best Birthday Present

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : This particular chapter would be way longer than the others, as this will be the last one on when Katara's 9-10 years old. I don't want to write too many chapters of when she's young, as I want this whole story to mainly focus on when Katara and Zuko are at their teenage/young adult years. So I won't take it too long as it could get a bit boring.

Also, the first scene of this chapter would be in present tense. I was testing if it would be better to write it in present, rather than in past. I've just noticed that if you're writing as the narrator, you're supposed to write in present. So I'm still not sure about this, please leave a review after reading.

 **CHAPTER 7 – Best Birthday Present**

 _A month later…_

After a long day of training and studying, Katara decides to write her diary. She's so happy with the book that Kana had brought for her. Kana told Katara that she should have a private diary, so that she could pour out all her thoughts and feelings, without anyone knowing about it. Katara thought that it's a great idea. And so, almost every night before bed, she would spend a bit of time to write. Before she writes her diary, Katara thinks back about the past few weeks.

She had been living her life as a fire nation princess for the past month. She thinks that it wasn't so bad, even though… it got boring sometimes. They're so strict when it comes to studying, training, and so on. They take punctuality way too seriously. She's a carefree child. She likes freedom more than anything. And so, whenever she got the chance to take a break, she would go to the garden or to the library.

Every weekdays have it's own routine. Morning breakfast in her bedroom, waterbending training, break and bath time, lunchtime, studying and studying, break time, studying again, dinner, then bedtime. On weekends however, the kids were given all the free time they could get. She had spent those days mostly with Zuko, as Azula was usually too busy with herself with… whatever it was.

Katara had also met Ty Lee and Mai a few times, and apparently… she got along with them pretty well. In fact, ironically, she became quite good friends with Mai. They especially became friends when Mai saw that Katara was good at ink writing, which was Mai's interest as well. Katara then found out that Mai wasn't really a quiet girl. She's just not used to socialize properly as her parents taught her not to speak, unless spoken to. Katara felt rather pity for her.

Katara also met Lu Ten, and actually hanged out a bit with him. He seemed okay to her, even though she felt a bit weird by the way he tried to talk to her sometimes. Lu Ten just wanted to know her better, but sometimes Katara felt a bit uneasy about it. Especially, when Lu Ten kept saying about how big and blue her eyes were, and how that could be possible. Katara did notice that whenever Lu Ten asked her to play with him, Zuko would get cranky and scrunched up his nose.

"Hah… what a month" Katara says to herself, as she lays her back on the chair, "I should start writing my diary now…" She opens up her diary book, and dips her quill into the tiny inkpot.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Life here isn't so bad after all. Yes it gets soo boring sometimes, ugh. I like history class, but gosh…why does have to always be boring and grumpy. I especially love art class, I love painting a lot! Anyway, I still can't deny the fact that Master Guang still treats Zuko poorly. I notice that Zuko got better a bit each time he practiced. So I don't know what's the deal with Guang really. But hey, I admit it that Azula has a natural talent for firebending._

 _Hmm what else… oh yeah, my mom. Ursa. Without her, I would probably lose it already. She really does treat me like her own daughter. She told me that I am her daughter no matter what, as long as… well, that's okay with me. I'm totally fine with it though, she's the only one I could call my 'mom' anyway. But that doesn't matter if she's not my real parent. She's a true mom for me, and I cherish her for that. Unlike… Ozai… he rarely played with us._

 _One thing I've also noticed… It's weird how I'm not his real daughter but more than once, he noticed me even more than Zuko. Something's weird going on with these people towards Zuko. Oh well, I can't really say much._

 _I also remember 2 weeks ago, when we all went to Ember Island for vacation. Mom took us to see a show called, "Love Amongst The Dragons". I love that show! I think it's sweet, but Zuko said that the players always "butchered" the play. Azula easily got bored. It seems that it's so hard to make her happy or interested in something. I don't even know what she likes, other than… destroying and burning things._

 _Huh what else, oh yeah! The food here is really GOOD! I especially looove the roasted duck and komodo chicken dumplings. Ah yes, and my new friends Ty Lee and Mai. Ty Lee seems so happy all the time. She said that her aura has never been pinker, whatever that means… Mai, well… she's still the same. But I like spending time with her. We like to teach each other ink writing, it's fun! Lastly, 2 months more and it's my birthday! I'm so happy and nervous bout it. It would be my first birthday in the fire nation. I wonder how it would be like… Anyway, time for bed!_

And with that, Katara closes her diary and yawns. She walks towards her bed and closes her eyes. Minutes later, and she still can't fall asleep. Her head is so clouded with thoughts about how her birthday will be. Will it even be celebrated? Or not?

* * *

 _2 months later…_

Katara woke up in the morning with a surprise, as her bedroom door was suddenly opened. Ursa came in with a big smile on her face, holding a birthday cake with ten glowing candles on the top. Zuko also carried some small plates, cake forks, and a small knife. Zuko was smiling and cheering, while Azula just mindlessly walked inside.

Katara scratched her eyes with her knuckles, and sat up straighter on the bed. Ursa put the birthday cake on the bed in front of Katara, and started to sing happy birthday. Zuko joined in while clapping his hands cheerfully. While Azula… she just slowly clapped her hands and stared at the cake the whole time.

After they're finished singing, Katara beamed happily. She then slowly closed her eyes and made a wish, before blowing the candles. "Wow you guys, thank you sooo much! I wasn't expecting this at all!"

"Oh c'mon Katara, it's your birthday after all! You're our family, remember? It's a must that we celebrate it! Right, mom?" said Zuko, as he looked up to Ursa.

"Why, yes of course! You're my daughter Katara… why won't I celebrate it. Why won't WE celebrate it. You should prepare yourself soon. We will be having a special party just for you!" Ursa said, as she sat on the bed's edge besides Katara, and pulled her into an embrace.

"Oh a party? Really? Wow, I can't wait! Who will be there?" Katara asked as she dipped her forefinger into the creamy cake a bit, and licked it. _Oh my goodness! I've never tasted a cake so delicious!_ Katara thought to herself.

Somehow, Ursa seemed a bit… thoughtful for the moment before speaking up. "Darling, well… since you're part of our royal family now, your dad wanted the party to be a bit... private. So if you're thinking about your friends coming, that would be impossible. So there would only be us, General Iroh, and his son, Lu Ten"

Katara looked a bit sad for the moment. She was hoping that Mai and Ty Lee would come and play together. "I see… that's okay. But… what about grandpa? I've never seen him. Not even once" Katara just realized that she had never seen FireLord Azulon yet. She even started to wonder if he's even a real person or not.

"Busy, busy, busy. Always busy" Azula answered all of the sudden, as she crossed her hands on her chest and stared to the wall. "Ugh anyway…" Azula yawned and turned on her heels, "I'll be seeing you this evening... sister. I'm also quite busy today"

Ursa's eyes widened with surprised on how Azula behaved. "What is wrong with that child?" said Ursa under her breath. She slowly turned back to look at Katara with an apologetical face. "I'm so sorry. Anyway, I have some business to attend too. So I will be seeing you this evening, okay dear? There will be preesentss!" she said, as she bumped her nose with Katara's nose.

Katara giggled, "Okay then mom, I'll be waiting"

Ursa hugged Katara tightly, "I'll see you, love you dear" Ursa slowly pulled away, and walked out of the room. Now, Zuko was left alone in the room with Katara.

"Wow… this cake is really big. Won't you mind sharing it with me?" asked Katara as she looked at her white and blue birthday cake. "And why is the cake white and blue? Shouldn't be red or something, like everything else in this nation?"

Katara was about to dip her finger again but stopped, as Zuko told her, "Stop, wait! I bring some plates here, look! Here…" Zuko sat on the bed with Katara, as he laid the plates and other tools. "Here you go, a plate for you and me! And yes, well… since this is your first birthday in the fire nation, mom wanted it to be special at least. She told the chef to make it blue, just like you!"

"Bu-but I'm not blue, Zuko!" Katara looked at Zuko with a surprised look on her face.

Zuko's eyes widened a bit, "Oh no-no! That's not what I meant! I mean, you're from the water tribe. And everything is white and blue, right? So mom told the chef to make something that represents that"

Zuko helped Katara slicing the cake, and put it on each other's plate. Katara began eating the delicious cake, and she began to wonder, "Hmm this is weird… all the food here is usually spicy. But, I taste no spiciness at all"

"Well, mom, mm-yummy… knows that mmm water tribe people don't cook something spicy, sooo… m-yeah!" explained Zuko, while chewing a mouth full of cake. "Oh yeah and, since today is your birthday… we will be free the whole day! Meaning, no training, no classes! Isn't that great?! What do you wanna do while waiting for tonight's party?"

"Hmm… I'm not really sure. Let's just go to the library, we'll see if there's anything interesting to read. Or we could play games. Or if we get bored we could go to the garden!" Katara said as she put aside her plate.

"Alright then, sounds interesting" Zuko put aside all the plates, tools, and the cake to a nearby table. "The servants will clean that up, no need to worry"

"Okay sure thing. Anyway, I'm gonna take a bath first and get ready. You go ahead to the library, I'll catch you up quickly"

* * *

As Katara was finished with herself, she immediately changed to one of her best everyday outfit. She walked towards her bedroom door hurriedly, but stopped as it cracked opened a bit. Kana peaked into the room, and found Katara starring at her right in front of her.

"Oh, Katara! Were you just going to go out now?" Kana asked as she opened the door wider, but didn't step into the room.

"Yes, Zuko's waiting for me in the library. We're gonna hangout together until my party this evening. Is something wrong, Kana?" asked Katara while tilting her head to the side.

Kana stepped aside and gestured for Katara to come out. Kana closed the door and said, "Nah it's okay. I just want to wish you a happy happy birthday. I hope your wishes will come true, and happiness is always there with you. I really do want to give you something but… I have nothing"

"Aaw, thanks a lot Kana!" Katara crashed herself to Kana, and hugged her tightly. "And please, don't worry about it! Thank you so much Kana. For taking care of me, and teaching me waterbending too"

Kana held back her tears as she realized that sooner or later, she must let Katara go. Kana hugged Katara back and stroke her hair softly, "No need to thank me. Now you have a mother, Lady Ursa. You should thank her. I'm just here helping. Go now, Prince Zuko doesn't really like waiting too long" said Kana with a smile on her face.

Katara walked through the long hallways. She was so excited for her first birthday party in the fire nation. _Huh I wonder… what kind of presents would I get? I wonder how many. Who will give me presents?_ Katara thought to herself. She began paying attention to the details of her surroundings. She never thought that she would call the fire nation her home. She never even thought that the royal family would be her own family.

Katara noticed that almost every hallways and rooms that she went into, were usually dark and gloomy. Most of the hallways didn't even have windows. Good thing that right in front of her room, there was a tall big window in the hallway. She finally had come to a stop in front of the library. She opened the door and went it.

She saw two figures sitting on red cushions in front of the fireplace, focusing on some board game she didn't recognize of. "Zuko? General Iroh?"

Zuko's head snapped up and then smiled widely as he realized whom it was, "Ohey, Katara! Come over here! Uncle is teaching me his boring board game called, Pai Sho"

"Hey now, nephew. This game is fun! It takes a lot of patience, but it makes you smart!" exclaimed Iroh, and sipped on his hot dragon jasmine tea.

Katara giggled and walked towards them, she sat on a cushion next to Zuko. "So, what is this game abou-"

"Hey, Zuko! Oh… Katara!" Lu Ten was surprised to see Katara in the library, as he suddenly barged into the room. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you're here… um Zuko, your mom wants to see you, now. Oh and, in private" he said.

"Is… something wrong?" Katara started to feel anxious and worried.

"Aw maann, I was just about to spend time with Katara… oh well. And no, nothing is wrong. It's a surprise!" Zuko said, winking. "Guess I'll see you later this evening" He then left Katara and Iroh alone in the room.

Katara now felt a bit awkward, as she never talked much or spend time with Iroh. Iroh was usually away, busy dealing with business and meetings over sea. So Katara rarely saw him in the palace "So… General Iroh, I won-"

"My dear, please just call me Iroh. Or Uncle, if you will" said Iroh with a big grin on his face. "Do you want a cup of tea? I brewed this tea myself! I'll also teach you how to play this game if you want to"

"Yes please! Thanks, uncle. And wow, I didn't know you could make tea. So uncle, if it's okay… may I know what it's like being out there? In the war?" Katara asked, while accepting the teacup Iroh gave to her.

Iroh looked a bit grimed for the moment, "Sorry Katara, but… it's not something nice to talk about. Not with me, but with you. When you're older, you'll understand more"

Katara just nodded. Iroh thought to himself that Katara really was a smart girl. She's smarter than she looked like. Iroh even wished to himself that one day, Katara would find out the 'truth' by herself. "But, you see Katara… even when things seemed bad or wrong. There's always a light in it. Or, something unusual would happen. I do believe there's 'beauty' in dark places" Iroh added while sipping on his tea.

Katara wondered for a moment what that did mean, "Huh, I don't quite… understand, uncle. Do you mean something like, a rainbow after the storm?"

"My, my dear. You really are wise for such a young girl" Iroh smiled, as he poured himself another cup of tea.

* * *

That evening, Kana had told Katara to get ready for her birthday party. Kana had also brought a new formal dress for her. Katara was then led to a ballroom, where everybody was waiting there to surprise her.

When Katara went into the ballroom, she was greeted with cheering faces and a happy birthday song, except… for Ozai and Azula. They just mindlessly slow clapped with a forced tiny smile on their faces. There were also servants here and there, some of them were holding golden food trays.

The ballroom was the biggest room she had ever went into, although she bet the throne room would be bigger. The room was decorated with many plants and flowers. Red velvet ribbons spiraled around on each pillars in the room. There were also fire sconces, hanging from the pillars. The room was illuminated by the moonlight, as it penetrated through the windows, from between the dark red curtains. In the middle of the room was a long dinner table, filled with many kinds of food.

"Happy birthday, Kataraa!" cheered Ursa, Zuko, Iroh, and Lu Ten.

Katara widened her eyes and brought her palms to her mouth, as she gasped a little. She was so happy that they actually planned this all through, and surprised her with such a luxurious birthday party. Katara never thought that they would actually do this for her. She thought that even though she's part of the fire nation royalty, they wouldn't bother to make her happy. Let alone celebrating her birthday.

"Happy birthday, dear. I wish you all the best and happiness in this world. I wish you luck and abundance. May all your wishes come true" said Ursa, as she walked towards Katara and pulled her into a tight hug. Upon witnessing this, Zuko clapped his hands cheerfully, while Azula just flinched and looked away.

Ozai slowly walked towards Katara as well, and looked down on her. He put his right hand on Katara's left shoulder and said, "May you make us proud, and not fail us. And may you be a decent and talented daughter, of the fire nation"

As Ozai had said his 'statement', everyone went quiet and tense. Everything seemed so silent and awkward now, that Katara didn't know what to really feel. Katara just bowed her head a bit and looked back up to him, "Ye-yes father. I will not fail you. I will make you proud"

"Ah well then, shall we?" Ursa stepped in closer and offered her hand to Katara. "Don't want all the food to get cold, do we? I've asked the chef personally to make all of your favorite dishes!"

Ursa, Ozai, and Iroh, took seat next to each other. Katara and the other kids sat next to each other, across the table from their parents. Katara sat between Zuko and Lu Ten, while Azula sat next to Zuko's right side. They all ate in silence at first, but then Iroh began to start having a conversation with basically… everyone.

Iroh had also asked Katara about her studies, waterbending training, and so on. When Iroh asked Zuko about his training, Azula immediately cut in to taunt and embarrass him. She kept saying how pathetic and weak he was, and that he couldn't do anything right. Katara noticed that all the while they're having this conversation, Ozai didn't even look up and continued eating his meal. He seemed… annoyed and disappointed somehow. For a second, Katara saw Ozai grimaced when Azula pointed out on how much of a failure Zuko was.

After they all had their dinner and desert, Ursa signaled a servant nearby to bring Katara's presents. Three servants came back, each holding a box with red ribbons. Katara's eyes widened with surprised. They all stood up, and stood close next to each other.

"These are your birthday presents, sweety" said Ursa, as she outstretched her palm to show Katara the presents. "Come over here and open them"

Katara walked towards the first servant, she took the box and shaked it a bit. Ursa was shocked for a moment, "Oh no-no, dear. Don't shake it, it's delicate and quiet fragile. Just open it"

"Oh so-sorry…" said Katara, embarrassed by her own childish behavior. She pulled the red ribbon, and slowly opened the box's lid. There was a letter, and another velvet black box in it. She decided to open the letter first and read it.

 _Dear Katara,_

 _We're happy to have you as a member of the royal fire nation family. We hope that you will grow up into a talented and decent young lady. May all your wishes come true, and may you make us all proud._

 _Your family,_

 _Ozai, Ursa, Zuko, and Azula_

Katara then took the tiny box and opened it. Inside the box's red velvet pillow, laid a beautiful golden dragon bracelet. Its head eating its own tail, with red rubies on its eyes. "Oh myy… this is so beautiful!" Katara gasped as she inspected the bracelet.

"We're glad that you like it. It was designed by the best designer, and It's been crafted by the best craftsman. With all the best material quality as well. We really do hope that you're happy with your stay here… with us, as your new family, and home" said Ursa, with a big warm smile on her face.

"Thanks a lot!" Katara then moved to the next present. She took the box from the servant's outstretched hands and opened it. Inside the box was a beautiful hand crafted fan with a letter too. She first took the letter and read it.

 _Dear Katara,_

 _Happy birthday, my beautiful niece! I hope for all your wishes to come true. May your life be full of happiness, abundance, and luck! I wish I could give you something much better, but sadly, I was too busy in war. This was the only worth present I could find while I was away. This fan was hand crafted by one of the best craftsman in the Earth Kingdom. I hope you like it!_

 _From your tea loving uncle,_

 _Iroh_

Katara smiled widely as she put aside the letter, and took the fan from inside the box. The fan's frame was made from Ebony, with gold carvings and some jewels on it. She opened the fan, and it was a transparent dark green with a painting of flowers. It also had some gold dusts around it. Katara was so marveled by it, she had never seen such artistic fan before.

"My goodness, this is just way too pretty! Oh thanks a lot, uncle!" Katara beamed with happiness as she ran towards Iroh, and hugged him tightly. Upon seeing this, Azula felt her stomach sick. She's not used to see such happy loving gestures in the family. Every time she saw anyone would hug or embrace someone, she felt weird and somehow… a bit disgusted.

"Haha, now now. Anything for my dear niece! I'm glad you like my present!" Iroh said happily, then bent his body closer to Katara as to whisper, "but I bet not as much as my teaa!" Katara just nodded and chuckled.

Katara went to the last present box and opened it. Inside, was a magenta velvety box with a letter. She took the letter and read it.

 _Dear Katara,_

 _First of all, happy birthday! Second, I hope you'll be happy staying with us! I hope you could truly feel comfortable by calling this your home. May your wishes come true as well. Oh and, I found this amazing thing while I was away with dad in the Earth Kingdom. They really do love craftsmanship and jewelries. Hope you like this one! Psstt, I hope you like mine better than dad's hahaha._

 _Yours truly,_

 _Lu Ten_

Katara blushed a little as she realized it was from Lu Ten. She took a quick glance towards him, and saw that he was looking at her with such expectation. Katara then took the magenta box, and opened it. Inside, was a beautiful crafted silver butterfly brooch. It had several sapphires and opals on its wings.

 _Wow, first thing I saw that isn't gold or red. It's so beautiful though. Somehow it makes me feel… calm and safe._ _It reminds me of…_ Katara then decided to just stop thinking about the past. It's not like she could remember anything anyway, so it's useless and pointless. She must focus on the present now. She had a new home, new family, and things seemed okay.

Katara walked towards Lu Ten and nodded her head a bit, "Th-thanks, Lu Ten. I really lik-"

"Wait, you got a present from Lu Ten?" Zuko suddenly asked, his tone came out a bit harsher than he thought it would.

"Ye-yes. He gave me a brooch, look…" Katara showed the brooch to Zuko, "It's really lovely, I like it a lot" she continued.

Zuko scoffed and looked away, "Hmph, yeah. It's 'nice'"

Lu Ten raised an eyebrow, looking at Zuko weirdly. "Uh okayy? Anyway…" he then turned his head towards Katara and smiled warmly, "I'm really really glad that you like it. I just wanted to give you something as well and, I was kind of… confused of what to give you. I didn't really know what you like soo, I was walking pass this jewelry shop and found that brooch. I thought it'd look lovely on you. Besides, I know you like blue a lot" he said, winking.

Zuko flinched, and fought the urge to grimace and scoff at Lu Ten. He didn't even know why he was feeling this way. He just didn't like it if Lu Ten could get closer to Katara than him. But then he just thought to himself that maybe he's feeling this way, because he actually had a 'surprise' present for Katara too, and Zuko didn't want Lu Ten to compete.

Ozai cleared his throat suddenly, and everyone turned their heads towards him. "Ursa, Iroh, I do believe that we will be having an important meeting soon" said Ozai.

"Oh yes, right. Well then, I'm sorry Katara. Mommy needs to attend an important meeting. You may go ahead and have fun, do whatever you want. But don't go to sleep too late, okay?" said Ursa.

"Okay, mom" said Katara and Zuko in unison.

"Well, I gotta go too. Important things and what not, see ya Zu-zu, see ya tara" Azula said, as she turned on her heels and walked away.

"Me too" said Lu Ten, "Sorry but, I have some important stuffs to do. I'll see ya guys around!"

Everyone began walking outside, and the servants began to tidy and clean up the room as well. Katara was still standing there, thinking what to do next. She suddenly gasped as she felt Zuko took her hands and pulled her.

"C'mon Katara! I wanna show you something as well" Zuko said with a grin on his face.

"Oh-okay, wa-wait! Where are we going?" Katara tripped a bit on her dress, as Zuko pulled her even faster.

"To the library first!"

Katara thought about his words for a moment, "Wait, first?"

* * *

After they've reached the library, Zuko pulled Katara to a table nearby. "Close your eyes Katara, I have a surprise for you!" he said cheerfully.

"Okayy!" Katara brought her palms up to her eyes to close them. "My eyes are closed now, what's the surprise about?"

"No peaking!"

"I'm not! I swear!"

"Keep closing your eyes, I want to put this onto your palms" said Zuko, as he pulled Katara's palms from her eyes, and laid a scroll paper tied with a red ribbon. "Okay, now open!"

Katara opened her eyes and stared at the scroll in front of her. "Um… it's, a paper scroll?" she asked with a confused look.

"Wha- no-no! Open it" Zuko said. Katara began untying the red ribbon, and Zuko felt so nervous. The more Katara untie the ribbon, the more nervous he became. Zuko bit his lower lip and looked up at her, "Ouwh, I really do hope you'll like it"

Katara finally untied the ribbon, and unscrolled the paper. Katara gasped with amazement, her bright blue eyes went bigger than ever, "Oh my… my goodness. Zu-Zuko… is-is that… me?"

Katara looked up to Zuko nodding, then stared back at the paper scroll.

"It's a drawing of me!" Katara exclaimed happily. There on the paper, was an ink drawing of Katara. Even though it looks messy and sketchy, she liked it a lot. No… she LOVED it. "No way Zuko. No way… did you draw this? For me?" she asked, still baffled.

"Yes of course!" Zuko said proudly, as he crossed his arms on his chest and stick his nose to the air. "I drew that for a whole day! I was preparing it 3 days before your birthday! I wanted to give you something that I made myself. I didn't know what to give. Glad you like it!"

"Like it? I LOVE it, Zuko! It's the best birthday gift eveerr! Thank you soo much!" Katara crashed herself to Zuko, and hugged him tightly. Zuko tried so hard to hide his blush, but knew he couldn't. He bet that from the contrast of his pale skin, he must've looked like a boiled crab.

Katara pulled away from Zuko, and blushed a little. "Uh-um, anyway Zuko… I remember you said that you wanted us to go to the library, 'first'. What did that mean?"

Zuko's head snapped up in realization. "Oh yes! I wanna show you something amazing! C'mon, let's go the garden now!" he said as he began pulling Katara again.

"What? Zuko it's nighttime! It would be really dark there!" Katara shouted, a bit scared.

Zuko turned his head a bit to look at Katara from his shoulders, "Oh, don't you worry bout it! I bet you'll love it when you see it!" he smiled widely.

* * *

When Katara and Zuko got closer to the royal garden, Zuko abruptly stop on his tracks, resulting Katara bumping onto his back.

"Ouch! Hey, why are we stop-" Katara was cut off, as Zuko turned to look at her. He grabbed her arms and said, "Now close your eyes again, Katara. This one is also a surprise! Don't worry, you won't trip or fall. Just close your eyes and take my hand, I'll lead the way. The garden is already close anyway"

Katara pouted, "Hmpfh, okay then. But if I trip and fall, it's your fault!" she then slowly closed her eyes, and stretched out her right hand for Zuko to hold.

Zuko rolled his eyes and took her hand, "Yeah-yeah, c'mon then"

Katara knew they've reached the garden, when she heard the sounds of grass crunching beneath her shoes. With her eyes closed, she could actually sense and 'felt' her surroundings more. She could smell the wet grass and the gentle breeze of the night. It seemed that it had rained before.

"Okay, we're here. You may now open your eyes!" Zuko said with excitement in his voice.

Katara slowly opened her eyes and felt her jaw dropped. She was so amazed by the beautiful view in front of her. The sky was clear and the moon was full, illuminating everything with its bright ethereal white light. But what caught her eyes more, were the floating yellow things in the garden.

Katara saw so many bright yellow things, flying around. It looked like floating small flames. She was so amazed and confused at the same time, she had never seen such thing! "Ah, this is so beautiful! Wha-What is this?!"

Zuko turned to look at her and smiled, "It's an animal! They're one kind of a bug! We called them, 'Fireflies'" he explained. Zuko then catched one Firefly and trapped it inside his palm. He signaled Katara to come closer, as he wanted to show her the animal closer. He slowly opened his palms, still making sure it won't escape just yet.

"See? They have this… glowing things on their butts!" said Zuko.

Katara stared at the creature on Zuko's palms with amazement, "Oohh, it's so pretty! I've never seen an animal like this. Hahaha, glowing butt! I guess from where I came from, the weather was just too cold for any flowers or animals to live. Well, except for some snowy animals hahaha"

Zuko let go of the Firefly, and watched it flew away. Katara's eyes trailed to a group of many Fireflies. She noticed that a lot of them were flying around a particular area, and so she walked closer towards it. As she got close enough, she realized that they were hovering above the Fire Lilies bushes.

The Fire Lilies seemed to glow ethereally, from the effect of the moonlight and the Fireflies. She was so amazed with everything that's going on in this garden. Everything looked so surreal and magical, she thought that she was in the spirit world.

"Gosh Zuko… seems like this garden never fails to amaze me. And it never stops! Every time I come here, I would find new wonderful things. This is just so beautiful" Katara said, as she kneeled down in front of the bushes, inspecting the flowers and the Fireflies.

"Iyeap. I like to spend my time here in the garden. I like the quietness of it, especially at night. Things always looked so different here at night. Sometimes I even thought that maybe I'm not in the fire nation" Zuko seemed to think about something then continued, "Hm, this reminds me of what uncle Iroh likes to say to me something about… 'beauty' in dark places or what so ever. Ugh, he likes to talk a lot about philosophies and such" he rolled his eyes.

Katara then remembered what Iroh had told her, when they were both in the library. "Oh yes! He told me that too, when we were in the library. Something about there's always light in bad things or wrong things. Yeah, something like that… Oh well, it is beautiful though. I never thought I would see this kind of view, and especially the fact that you could only see it at night"

"Yeah, true…" Zuko kneeled on the ground next to Katara, and stared at the Fire Lilies, "I remember a picture of my mom's and dad's wedding. They put so many Fire Lilies in mom's hair"

Katara's eyes widened for a moment, "Oh yeahh! I remember you told me about Fire Lilies. You give them to someone you love, right? Like a symbol of showing your love, and asking if they're gonna accept it or not"

Zuko blushed and looked away, pretending to observe the fireflies near him. "Ye-yeah, that's true. You give it to someone, you know, if you want to make them yours. Like uh, asking out on a date… or something. Umm I don't, really kn-know about it much"

Katara giggled, "I wonder whom you'll be giving in the future"

Zuko's head turned around to look at Katara, his eyes wide with surprise, "Wha-what did you mean by that?"

Now Katara couldn't hold it much longer, she burst into laughter as she saw Zuko's cheek was turning into a deeper crimson color. "Aahahaha, you silly! Yeah well, you know you're going to give someone some Fire Lilies, riight?" Katara said teasingly.

Zuko suddenly stood up and turned his back on Katara, he was too embarrassed by this. He could only imagine how his boiled crab cheek would looked like, and Katara there, laughing at him. "I-I d-don't know what you're ta-talking about!"

* * *

"I-I really don't know h-how to ask… or d-do this but…" Sokka paused to wiped away the tears from his eyes, then looked back up into the sky. He focused his gaze up onto the full bright moon, its glow illuminating everything in a pale white light. "P-please… Tui and La, please j-just help bring back my sister. B-bring her back here, safe and sound. Please… let there b-be a miracle"

Sokka then broke down into the thick white snow, sobbing hysterically. Even the cold air of the night, and the frostbite from the ice, couldn't compare to what he's feeling inside his heart. He missed his lost sister so much. He also missed his father, and especially his mother. His mother that he knew could never come back, to this world.

 _How could this all happened?_ He kept asking that question everyday in his head, over and over again. Wishing that all of this were just a stupid, horrible, terrifying nightmare. He kept wishing that he could wake up in the morning, greeted by his annoying sister's laugh and yelling. Greeted by his warm loving mother, and his strong loving father.

But no… everyday, he would wake up to the sounds of the storm outside the igloo. The wind whirling furiously, and the bone chilling weather would get colder each day. He would wake up to see his grandma still sleeping next to him. He would wake up, went outside, and see the remaining of his once prideful tribe.

* * *

Author's note :

For the next chapter, I would really need your opinions. I've just realized that I've been writing in past tense as the narrator. My friend told me that I should write in present tense since I'm the third point of view character. I tried to write it in present, and I felt weird, uncomfortable, and difficult. So I'm still not sure as how to write it better. So please leave some reviews and so on! 3


	8. Chapter 8 - We Only Have Each Other

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : A bit of light curse words, just to let you guys know. But nothing serious really.

CHAPTER 8 – We Only Have Each Other

 _1 year later_

In just a year, Katara's waterbending skills had increased a lot. She's able to turn water into ice spikes in just a second, and turn it back into water. She's also able to control five water whips at the same time, surrounding herself in her water tentacles. But what Katara personally were proud of, was her healing skill. Even though it took a lot of energy and concentration, she's able to heal minor wounds and scratches.

All the while Katara was training with Kana, Guang had been paying attention. He still had his focus on Zuko and Azula, but he was secretly amazed by Katara's talent. Guang even thought that Katara's waterbending could over power Zuko's firebending. Even though it's hard to admit it, Guang felt irritated by the fact that the fire nation prince couldn't even compete with a mere waterbender. But he already knew of the prophecy. He didn't believe it at first, but now that he saw it with his own eyes… he had no choice but to believe it.

One time, Ozai had told Katara that it was time for her to meet Fire Lord Azulon. Katara was brought to the throne room for the first time, together with Zuko and Azula. As Katara expected, the throne room was really large and spacious. The air inside was too humid and hot for her. They kneeled in front of the Fire Lord, then took each other's turn to perform their bending skills.

As Always, Azula had performed her firebending with perfection. Her movements were smooth, but precise and deadly. Zuko's movements were still clumsy, and it made Fire Lord Azulon frowned disapprovingly. It was really embarrassing that Zuko even tripped on his left foot a little and almost fell. When it was Katara's turn, she was nervous like mad. But she succeeded in performing all of her moves, and somehow Fire Lord Azulon nodded in approvement.

After a long day of training and studying, Katara went into her bedroom tiredly. She plopped down on to the bed, starring at the ceiling. "Uugh… what a tiring day. Hmm, I think I should write my diary a bit" she said to herself, as she pulled herself up and walked towards the table.

Her table was always neat and organized. She had put the fan that Iroh gave her, next to her diary book. Sometimes it got way too hot for her to even focus writing. She was so grateful to Iroh for giving her this fan. She had also framed Zuko's sketch of her and put it on the table. She then opened her diary book, dipped her quill into the inkpot, and began writing.

 _Dear diary,_

 _Today was a really tiring day. I was finally able to heal some deeper wounds of a soldier, but it was nothing serious. Gosh, every time I practice healing, I would always get this… crazy headache afterwards. It took a lot of my energy and I had to fully concentrate. But oh well, anyway… nothing much happened. The past few days had been just like any other day._

 _Occasionally, Mai and Ty Lee would come here to play. I would show Ty Lee my new skill, and she would show me her new circus moves. Mai was always… well, pretty quiet. But now she's more open up to me, and it seems that from what she had told me… some boy had a crush on her!_

 _Hmm what else… oh yeah! Lu Ten had become busier than ever. He rarely came back home now that he joined his dad in war. Lu Ten had told me that it would probably take months for them to return home. I really hope they're okay, and that they will come back home safely. Oh well, I guess that's it for now. I'm suuuper tired and I wanna go to bed. Well, life couldn't get any worse I guess… All is good, and I'm actually happy living in the fire nation!_

After Katara was finished writing her diary, she changed into her night kimono and went to bed. She couldn't sleep for a good hour. Her head was so clouded with thoughts about the future. She felt afraid for a moment, thinking how her life would be like in the future. What would she supposed to do when she grow up? Would she forever stay in the fire nation? She knew that one day, sooner or later, she must find out the truth about her real family. She must know about what happened before she got into the Fire Nation.

Katara deeply sighed, "I wonder… I wonder what my real family looks like? I wonder if I have a brother or sister? Or maybe both? I wonder what they're doing now." Katara tossed and turned, "Ugh, thinking about this is just killing my head. Ah nevermind…" she slowly closed her eyes, and finally was able to fell asleep. She dreamt of a cold land, where everything was white and soft. But what stood out most was when she saw a pair of deep blue eyes, starring straight at her. She couldn't see 'her' face, as everything was blurry. But Katara could never forget those striking blue eyes.

* * *

 _Another year later_

"Ahh, I'm so pumped up for today!" Katara said to herself as she prepared herself. She looked at herself in the mirror, making sure her hair was neat. Azula had told Katara that as a true princess of the Fire Nation, she must always keep her hair neat in a topknot. Making sure that her tiny crown won't fell off.

When Katara was sure that she's ready for today, she walked towards her bedroom door with confidence. "Gosh, I can't really wait for today's training! I wonder what new techniques Kana would teach me" she said to herself, remembering of what Kana had told her the other day.

Kana said that there's a new 'secret' technique for Katara to learn. Kana somehow didn't want Guang to see them practicing this technique, so she had told Katara to come an hour early.

When Katara went into the training room, she saw Kana alone. Kana was practicing some basic waterbending moves. "Hey, Kana! I'm here and ready!" Katara said brightly.

"Oh, Katara! Okay then dear, let's warm up a bit for 5 minutes, alright?" Kana said with her usual warming smile.

Katara took a stance besides Kana, and began warming up with basic waterbending moves. Katara summoned some water from a barrel nearby, and swirled it around her body. She froze and unfroze the water with no trouble at all.

"You sure look excited for today" said Kana, as she slowly stopped moving.

Katara had stopped moving as well, and took a deep breath, "Why yes of course! You told me you're going to teach me a new advance technique. I'm so curious about it!"

Kana then walked closer to Katara and stood in front of her, "Okay. Now, Katara… before we begin, I need to remind you again that I've learned this technique all by myself. So if you're able to keep it a secret, I'll be happy" said Kana seriously.

"Ye-yeah, sure. I understand that" Katara had never heard Kana talked like that before, it actually made Katara a bit uneasy. "But… I still don't understand why. What if Zuko or Azula saw me doing this 'technique' you're going to teach me? What if mom, or even dad saw it?"

"That's not a problem" Kana said sternly, "The problem is that I just don't want anyone else to know 'how' you're able to do it. That is all. Katara, I don't even know if there are any other waterbenders out there, that are able to do this"

"Wow, so you could call this as something really special then!" said Katara with excitement in her voice.

"Yeap! Anyway, let's not waste anytime now…" Kana took a stance, and outstretched her hands in front of her. She moved her right hand so that it's longer than the left one. "Okay Katara, now… pay attention to the movements of my palms and fingers"

Katara stared at Kana's hands intently. Kana moved her fingers and made a claw like shape, as if she was controlling a puppet. She then pulled back her hands and lifted her right hand, as if she was grabbing something. Katara's eyes widened in shock when she had realized Kana's fingers were covered in ice. It looked as if like Kana had sharp long icy fingernails. Kana then unfroze the ice, and evaporated it back into the air.

"Di-did you… did you j-just… you just CREATED water out of thin AIR?!" Katara shouted, pointing her fingers at Kana.

"Shh! Katara, not too loud!" said Kana, as she put a finger on her lips.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry!" Katara clamped her mouth shut with her hands.

Kana sighed and looked away, "Yes and no. Uhm, well I didn't technically 'create' water out of thin air. I 'pulled' the water existence from the air. You see, Katara… you have to remember that there's actually water in the air. Remember, the air is actually always humid. You can try to 'feel' the water particles in the air around you, pull it all together, and 'create' your own water. I've learned this technique when I was… 'cornered'. You might find this useful in 'time of need'" explained Kana as she stared at her own hands, then looked up to see Katara starring back at her with her clear wide blue eyes.

"Wooww… that's just amaazing" Katara said, still dumbstruck. "Oh oh, let me try it now!"

and so, Katara began to practice this new 'technique' Kana had showed her. Katara was having a hard time to even try 'feeling' the water particles in the air. It took a lot of concentration, and it felt harder than healing.

Right after Katara had told Kana she's too tired and dizzy to continue, the front doors opened. Kana and Katara's heads snapped up to see Zuko, Azula, and Master Guang walked into the training room.

"Whoah, Katara? Huh, you're early today" said Zuko with a raised eyebrow.

Katara tensed a bit and quickly made up a reason, "Ye-yeah hehe. Kana told me to try meditate a bit longer so I could concentrate more. Oh and, also more energy to practice…"

"I also want to try something new today for practice" Azula said with confidence and a bit of malice in her voice. Upon hearing this, Guang smirked and straighten his back. With a feeling of proud for Azula, he spoke, "Ah yes, anything for the princess of the fire nation!"

Azula then turned to look at Zuko dead in the eyes. "This time, I want to practice with my brother" she grinned maliciously, "Let's duel together, Zu-zu. I think that'll make practice more fun"

Katara gasped at this, "What? No wa-"

"Fine. I accept. Let us 'practice' then" said Zuko as if he was accepting a 'challenge' from his sister. He knew that he probably wouldn't win against her, but he won't back down. He won't embarrass himself, especially… not in front of Katara.

Azula and Zuko took their positions far away, but facing each other. Sensing the seriousness and tense between the two siblings, Katara and Kana stepped back. Master Guang had also stepped aside. He looked at Azula, then Zuko.

Near where Guang stood, was a small end table. There was a tiny hourglass and a candle on the table. Guang picked up the hourglass, "You both will fight, but do not cause any permanent damage on each others. You may use any movements and techniques. I will signal it when the time's over" he then turned the hourglass upside down and put it back on the table, "Now, FIGHT!"

Right after Guang had told the two siblings to fight, Zuko and Azula immediately went into action. Katara felt so tensed and scared for both of them, especially Zuko. She knew that Zuko probably wouldn't able to keep up with his 'prodigy' sister. Azula's movements were smooth and perfect, but she was fast and stealthy. Unlike Zuko, who's still having difficulties on focusing and thinking fast. Azula kept charging and moving closer towards Zuko, while Zuko kept defending himself and stepped back a few times.

Katara glanced up a bit to see Guang, and saw no expression at all on his face. Katara then looked at the hourglass and half of its sand had already fallen down. She wished that it would be over soon. Katara gasped when she saw Azula had almost hit Zuko with her fireball, but thank goodness Zuko had dodged it and sent a jet of fire with a kick.

Azula swiped low and stood up quickly behind Zuko. She suddenly kicked Zuko's left leg, and he fell forward to the floor. Recovering of what just happened, Zuko turned on his back so that he could defend himself and attack Azula. When Zuko was about to attack, he suddenly stopped, as he was too shocked at what he was seeing. Azula, standing tall on top of him, sent a stream of purple fire.

Katara was shocked at what she was seeing as well, "NOO! PLEASE STOP!" she shouted.

Upon hearing Katara's scream, Zuko quickly rolled over to the side. Azula's hot fire had touched the floor where Zuko was laying, and left a scorched mark on it.

"Okay, time's up!" said Guang calmly.

"Wha-why didn't you stop her?!" Katara yelled at Guang, "You said that they shouldn't cause any permanent damage, but that's not what happened. Zuko almost got hurt! And that was dangerous and could be deadly!" she balled up her fists hard.

"Silence, Katara! You're not in this. You should just keep calm and watch" said Guang sternly, as he looked at Katara from the corner of his eyes.

"Hey, now!" Kana stepped in front of Katara, "Don't you talk to her like that. She was just worried about Zuko. And yes Katara was right, that was dangerous and you should've stop Azula!"

Guang suddenly showed a bit of fear on his face, and for a moment Kana was proud of herself. But then realized her mistake as how she called out on Azula. Kana realized the fear Guang showed wasn't because of her, but because of what Azula might do.

"What the HELL did you just say, you peasant?!" Azula said with anger in her voice, "How dare you?!"

Kana immediately bowed low in front of Azula and pleaded for mercy. Kana had just realized what she had said and that was clearly a big mistake. One thing for sure, Azula was scary and intimidating even as for a child. The people in palace knew not to anger her.

"Uugh" Azula rolled her eyes, and flicked her front bangs, "Very well then, apology accepted. But I want you to be my personal scrubber for a day"

Zuko, who was still in shocked of what had happened, slowly recovered himself. He walked closer towards Azula who's now standing near Katara. Zuko rubbed his elbows and right wrist, which he had hurt himself when he fell. Finally gathering up the courage inside of him, he spoke, "A-anyway… I-I've noticed that, something's different about your… fire, Azula"

Guang's eyes widened a bit in surprise, as he remembered again what he saw earlier. "Ah yes, Princess Azula. I saw that your fire's color had somehow… changed, a bit"

Katara seemed to be in deep thinking, "Th-that's right… I saw that her fire was kind of, purple? Yeah, it was a bit purple for a moment"

Azula just smirked proudly and put her hands on her hips, "Well, that just shows how great I really am"

"I must include this in my report to your father, Prince Ozai. I will tell him of the events in today's training, and ask him about this… new change" Guang said.

"A-aw, ouch!" Zuko moaned in pain, when he tried to move his right wrist a bit. Katara, noticing that Zuko was in pain, immediately went up to him and asked what's wrong.

Zuko told Katara that his right wrist was throbbing in pain, and so Katara told him to stay still as she healed him. Guang had dismissed the training, and Azula had already walked outside the room. After Katara finished healing Zuko, he thanked her and went outside as well hurriedly. He told her that he had something important to do, and so Katara was left alone once again with Kana.

Katara had told Kana that she wanted to get back to her bedroom, and Kana offered her assistance. Katara said that there's nothing wrong and that she'll be fine walking back alone. But Kana insisted to come with her, as there's something she wanted to show Katara in private.

When they both had reached Katara's bedroom and went inside, Kana gently put her hand on Katara's shoulder and kneeled down, "Katara, please… please listen to me, okay? This is very very important"

Hearing the seriousness in Kana's tone, Katara felt a bit suspicious and uneasy, "Ah-um, yes yes. I'm listening Kana. What's the matter? Is there something wrong?"

Kana closed her eyes and sighed deeply, "Katara…" she slowly opened her eyes and looked straight into Katara's eyes, "I-ugh, I don't know where to start… Katara, I don't know what will happen, okay? I don't know what will happen to me in future, but one thing for sure, I won't forever be in the fire nation. Katara, you know that right?"

Katara suddenly knew where this was going, and she felt her heart heavy with worry and sadness, "I-I… I understand. I know this, of course. I still remember about your family, I know that. I know… what you're talking about, Kana" Katara looked down.

"Oh, Katara" Kana pulled her into a tight hug, "I'm so so sorry, Katara. Please understand this, my family means so much to me. But don't ever forget that you mean a lot to me too, alright? I have to find my family. I can't be in this god forsaken place for too long anymore. I need to save my family"

"It-it's okay, Kana. I know… I know how important a family is" Katara said, tears started to form in her eyes. All of this suddenly reminded her of her long forgotten real family.

Kana slowly pulled away, "Katara, one more thing. If anything, anything at all, ever happens to me. Either sooner or later, I don't know… I want to give you this" Kana took Katara's palm, and laid a black key.

"Wha-what's this?" asked Katara, as she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"This is a key to my personal private belongings. If, again, anything happens to me soon… you may go to my room and open it. There's something inside that I want you to have. I can't tell you what it is, you'll know it when you see it" Kana explained seriously.

"Kana, please tell me what's really going on. You sounded like… as if, you're… going away. Like you're actually going to go away right now. Kana…" Katara couldn't handle it anymore, she broke into tiny sobs, "P-please Kana, don't leave me alone here…"

Tears were now flooding down from Kana's eyes, "Katara I know this is hard for you, it's hard for me as well. But I want you to remember this that I do care for you, okay? I want you to keep this key secretly, and use it when the time comes. And Katara… remember, you're not alone in this. You have your mother, Ursa. And a good friend, Zuko. I believe that you and Zuko would be greater friends in the future. And lastly… I hope one day you'll forgive me for the things I've done"

* * *

Katara had spent many hours alone in the library. It'll be evening soon, and she knew she must soon get back to her room. She couldn't stop thinking about the events since that morning. She was so frustrated and confused about everything. At the same time, she was curious what's in Kana's personal belongings. From the look of the key, Katara bet it must be a small chest or some kind.

Katara tried to ease her mind by reading several books, and writing, and even drawing a bit, but nothing could ease her mind. She then thought that maybe it's best to take a hot bath and practice her bending alone. That had always worked to calm herself.

Katara walked the long gloomy hallways in silence. When she turned around the corner to the hallway of her room, she saw Azula stood in front of her room as if she was about to get inside. Azula huffed annoyingly and turned to walk away but then stopped as she's now face to face with Katara.

"Azula?" Katara furrowed her eyebrows, "Were you just… about to get inside? Did you want to see me?" it was confusing and surprising for Katara to see this, because this never happened before.

"Well yeahh, that's true" Azula answered with her usual bored tone, "There's something 'interesting' I wanna tell you about. Come on let's go inside your room, I don't want anyone to hear"

"Bu-but Azula, there's no one around here…"

Azula rolled her eyes and smirked a bit, "Oh silly tara, don't you know the walls in this palace have eyes and ears?"

Azula grabbed Katara's hands and pulled her inside the room. When she was sure that everything was clear, Azula bent her body closer to Katara as to whisper, "Hey, did you hear the news? About uncle fatso Iroh, and Lu Ten?"

Katara felt so uneasy and nervous. She knew that from the way Azula talked, something must be wrong. "No-no. What happened to them?"

Azula chuckled, and with a malicious smile on her face, she answered, "Lu Ten died in war. Fatty uncle Iroh couldn't handle the grief and so he retreated back. He had failed the entire fire nation, Katara. He will soon come back here as a failure"

Katara's eyes widened at this, and clamped her mouth with her palms. "No way! You're lying! This… this couldn't be true!" tears were starting to form in her eyes.

"Oh please, save the tears tara" Azula looked down to check on her fingernails, "You should be happy! Why? Cuz there's a chance for father to be Fire Lord! Iroh was too sad to do any shit right, it seems that he doesn't even want to become Fire Lord"

"What? Azula, you're crazy! Why would I be happy of this?! Lu Ten was a good friend of mine too. He's your cousin for god's sake! Don't you feel any remorse?" Katara couldn't believe how cold Azula could be. Katara knew that Azula rarely showed any compassion or care for others, but she never thought Azula could be this uncaring. As if she never felt anything in her heart.

"Ugh, stop it Katara. Don't be annoying and weak like uncle" suddenly Azula grinned maliciously and whispered to Katara's ear, "But watch out. Dad's going to kill Zuko"

Katara jerked herself away from Azula, "What?! What the hell are you talking about?! Azula, don't play games now. C'mon, this is not funny at all!"

"Hahaha, oh well. Suit yourself if you wanna believe me or not" Azula turned on her heels and walked towards the bedroom door, "I'm not lying Katara, I'm just telling you of what I know of cuz I've heard it myself. Dad asked grandpa to become Fire Lord, since Iroh won't take the place. Grandpa took this as an offense, and said that Ozai should know the pain of losing your first son as well. Does this ring the bell, tara?"

And with that, Azula left Katara alone in the room. Never have Katara felt so alone and scared. She then wondered how come so many things, had suddenly became so confusing and infuriating. Katara took a hot bath, but for the first time… it failed to made her calm. Katara couldn't find anything else to do to ease her mind. She's not even in the mood to write her diary. She thought that it's best to go to sleep. Maybe when she woke up, everything will change back to normal. But sadly, she couldn't sleep. Her head was too clouded with thoughts and her heart was heavy with worry. Until finally, she was able to slowly fall asleep.

* * *

Past midnight, Katara was awoken to the sounds of her bedroom door opened. She thought that maybe it's nothing, as she was still half asleep and half awake. She decided to go back to sleep, but then she heard footsteps slowly coming towards her bed. When she finally got her consciousness back into reality, she decided to turn around to see whom it was.

Suddenly, she felt a hand gently touching her left shoulder. "Katara? Katara, are you awake, my dear?" Katara heard that familiar gentle loving voice.

"Mo-mom?" Katara fully turned around and squinted her eyes. In the dark of her room with only one candle burning nearby, she saw Ursa standing besides her bed. Ursa was wearing a dark cape, and a hood covering her head. Still groggy from her deep slumber, Katara muttered, "Mom, why are you here? What's going on?"

"Katara, I don't have much time so please listen to me. First of all, Katara, I really do care for you. I love you as my own child, my own daughter. You are a strong and talented girl, but you have to soon take care of yourself okay? Please, Katara. Be strong, okay?" Ursa said urgently.

"Hah, what? I don't un-"

"Katara, I hope in the future you will find the 'truth'. I hope you'll find your real family, and be one with them. Katara, one last thing… please please, take care of Zuko, okay? You have so much hope in you, and Zuko needs that"

Katara, still dizzy from suddenly waking up, just nodded her head in agreement. She still thought that maybe this was just a random dream, and she'll wake up the next morning feeling refreshed. "Ye-yeah. Yeah, mom… suure…" Katara then fell back asleep. She dreamt of a large hall room, filled with many pillars and fire scones. She dreamt of a long stage, and she saw two figures standing on the stage's opposites end.

* * *

That morning, Katara got out of bed feeling refreshed and ready for the day. She can't help but thought about everything that had happened the day before. She dismissed it, thinking that maybe some of them weren't true. But deep down, she knew something was really really wrong. She didn't want to worry too much, and thought that it's best to have hope more than fear.

As Katara got out of her bathroom, she was surprised to see Zuko sitting somberly on her bed. His eyes were puffy with a tint of red, as if he was crying hard for hours. "Zu-Zuko?" she asked with a worry look on her face.

Zuko's head snapped up to see Katara standing a few feet away from him, looking at him with a worry look. Zuko suddenly stood up and ran towards Katara, hugging her tightly. Zuko broke into sobs, "Ka-Katara, I d-don't know wh-what's going on. I don't… I don't know whyy, ugh-Katara, I'm s-so confused"

Katara was shocked for a moment and tried to understand what he was saying, "Zuko, please calm down now and tell me what happened. I can't understand if you talk like this" she said as she hugged Zuko back.

"Mo-mom… mom's gone. She's gone, Katara. She's gone!"

"She's what?! Zuko, what's going on?"

"I don't know, I don't knooww. Ugh, I'm so scared tara. Dad won't even talk" Zuko then broke into heavy sobs, and cried onto Katara's shoulder. Katara didn't know what to do, and so she just stood there hugging Zuko. She stroke his hair slowly, as to calm him down.

Zuko slowly pulled away, and wiped a tear from his left eye, " Also… grandpa died. Dad's going to be Fire Lord, so they're going to held the coronation tonight. They also told us to get prepare soon, as we have to go attend grandpa's funeral and cremation"

Katara tried so hard to contain her emotions in. She tried so hard to sink all of these informations all at once. She can't believe that so many things were going on at the same time. Everything seemed to be so confusing. She felt scared and alone, but then she suddenly remembered of what happened last night.

Katara realized that Ursa had really came into her bedroom at past midnight, and talked to her. It was no dream at all. Katara had no choice but to admit that it really happened, and now her mom was gone. She remembered all the things she was told, but what stood out the most… was when Ursa had told her to take care of Zuko.

"It-it's… okay, Zuko. It's okay" Katara said reassuringly, while patting his back gently. "We got this. We'll stay together, okay? Everything will be alright"

"I know. I know" Zuko said between hiccups, "We only have each other now, Katara"

* * *

Author's note :

The next chapter would be when Katara's 15, and Zuko's 17. Please leave some reviews and comments! 3


	9. Chapter 9 - Ember Island

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : Starting from this chapter, things might be NSFW (language, "tension" scenes, etc) but nothing near M yet. Just to notice you again, I can never reply to guest reviews as you can't reply to guest in this website. Also, some parts of this story might be kind of ooc. But I still try to keep the characters in character.

CHAPTER 9 – Ember Island

Many years have passed by and now Katara was 15 years old. She can't believe how time had flown by so fast. It felt like it was just yesterday when Ursa disappeared, and Ozai had become Fire Lord. Katara still wondered how come Ozai wouldn't talk about what happened that night. Since then, Ozai had never even mentioned anything about her. Deep down inside, Katara knew something was really wrong and it had to do with Ozai.

What really bothered Katara was that Kana had gone missing as well, at the same day as Ursa disappearance. Katara felt so much weight on her shoulders. She didn't expect for Kana to leave that soon. She had asked Ozai about what happened to Kana, but Ozai just shut her out. Telling her to just forget about Kana, as she's not that important.

So many things have changed. Katara still can't believe that she had lost a parent for the second time. Since Ozai had become Fire Lord, he became much busier than ever. Uncle Iroh was rarely to be seen as well. Katara felt like she had no one, but then she remembered that no matter what… she still had Zuko.

Katara and Zuko became closer to each other than ever. They had become best friends in fact. They both knew that they needed to hold onto each other as a true family. Katara felt like it was just days ago when she first met Zuko, as a young boy. Now he's 17 years old, and started to grow into a young man. Katara noticed the change in his voice, his feature, and even his bending.

Zuko's bending had improved a lot, even though he's still far behind Azula. Sometimes Katara felt envy that those two siblings had someone to teach them bending, while Katara had no one at all. Since Kana disappeared, Katara had been practicing alone. Ozai had given her several ancient waterbending scrolls that he still kept. Katara felt that she's getting better, but still lacking something. But now at least she's able to heal heavy wounds, and create water out of thin air with no difficulties.

In one particular morning, Katara was surprised when she saw Zuko and Azula fighting each other in the training room. The two siblings looked as if they were really fighting, but Master Guang just calmly watched. Katara was especially shocked when Azula suddenly shot out a stream of blue fire, after she knocked down Zuko. Just like those years ago. Guang had been very amazed by Azula's ability, he decided to tell the news to Ozai immediately. Katara had learned that Azula really was a true prodigy with pure talent, as she's the only one in the whole history, that had ever been able to bend blue fire.

"Ugh… what a tiring day" Katara said to herself, as she scrubbed her hands in the bathtub. She had practiced hard that morning, and studied a lot about world history. Even though as always, the tutor would focus more on Fire Nation than the other nations. "Oh well, gotta get ready now. Soon my friends will come and I finally be able to hangout with them again"

Whenever Katara felt confused or stressed, she would send a letter to Mai and Ty Lee. She would ask them to come to the palace if they have time to hangout. Katara was still a bit surprised that she could be friends with Mai specially. They seemed to connect in a strange unusual way. Mai would usually listen to Katara's complains and just nod her head. Sometimes it could get awkward as Mai's not one to talk openly to others, but she truly cared for her friends.

After Katara had finished taking a bath, she stepped out of the tub and dried herself with her bending. She slipped into her everyday outfit, and styled her hair then put on her tiny crown. Before leaving the bathroom, she took a glance towards a big pot plant in the corner of the room. She's still curious as to what's inside Kana's personal box. She wanted to open right after she got the box, but was too afraid to. She decided it that maybe she'll open it when she felt it's the right time. And so for now, she had buried the tiny black box inside the pot.

Upon arriving at the royal garden, Katara spotted Mai sitting on the fountain's edge as always. "Heyy, Mai!" Katara waved at Mai while walking closer towards her.

Mai slowly looked up and put on a tiny smile on her face, "Hey Katara, is there something you want to talk about?"

"I uh… no actually. I just want to hangout, I'm kinda bored and tired of today" Katara said with a heavy look on her face. "Oh yeah, where's Ty Lee?"

"She said she's busy with some stuffs, she can't come. And well, you know you could always talk to me. Sorry if I never been a good listener Katara but, I do care"

"No-no. There's nothing wrong really, I'm just… tired. That's all. And Mai, you're a good listener. Trust me" Katara smiled warmly, "Anyway, let's go and feed the turtle ducks over there at the pond"

Katara and Mai walked towards the pond, and kneeled besides the edge. Katara took a handful of breadcrumbs and threw it into the pond. She heard the turtle ducks quacking as they began to swim closer to her, and ate the crumbs. Katara sighed deeply and stared into the distorted water.

"Katara, is something wrong? You don't look fine" Mai said bluntly.

Katara sighed again and closed her eyes, "I guess I can't really hide my feelings, can I?" she then smiled and looked at Mai, "You really are an observer Mai. You really do know what's up"

"Well hey, people keep saying how quiet I am. But I actually do pay attention and care. I just, don't really know how to talk like you do" said Mai as she shrugged.

"I'm fine really, thanks for asking Mai. I'm okay… I just, well. Ugh, things are changing a lot and I can't help but feeling that… things could get worse"

"Well huh, what do I know? I don't know anything much about what's going on here but I can assure you, nothing's bad going to happen. Unless, some accident or tragedy happens" Mai said mindlessly, while she stared at the turtle ducks.

Katara frowned and pouted, "Oh c'mon Mai. Don't be so gloomy and dark like that" Katara looked up at the sky, as if she's expecting something would happen or change, "Anywaayy, that's it about mee. Tell me what have you-"

"Hey, Katara!" Zuko shouted from the balcony across the pond. "Oh, hey Mai"

"Zuko! What's up?" Katara answered him as she looked up. Katara noticed that Mai flinched a bit and looked away.

"Dad wants to talk to us this evening, in around 3 hours. Just to let you know" Zuko explained.

Katara raised an eyebrow, "Huh, okay… this is pretty unusual, okay then. Thanks!"

Zuko simply nodded and began walking away again, back into the palace hallways. When he was out of sight, Katara turned to look at Mai. Katara knew that there's something's up with Mai whenever Zuko appeared. In a way, Katara didn't really like this 'feeling' even though she's not sure of herself what it was. But Katara felt uneasy every time she saw Mai's blushing face whenever she saw Zuko.

With a smug look on her face, Katara teased Mai, "Well, well, lookie here. Someone's getting her cheeks all boiled up"

Mai rolled her eyes, "Ugh, stop it Katara. What are you talking about?"

Kata scoffed and looked away back to the turtle ducks, "Oh c'mon, Mai. Don't think I never noticed how you react whenever Zuko's near. You like him, don't you?" Katara hoped that the answer would be a 'no', even though she knew that's not true. She had noticed ever since she began hanging out with Mai, even when they were still young. Katara knew that Mai had always been a shy and quiet person, but something in her changed a bit if it came to Zuko.

Mai sighed annoyingly, and stared at the stilled water in the pond, "Okay, well whatever. You got me. Yeah I 'did' like Zuko, but I-"

"I knew it!" Katara shouted, "Hahaha, I knew it. You have a crush on him!"

"Shh, Katara. You're being too loud, and I'm not done yet talking" Mai huffed then looked at Katara, "I said I 'did' like Zuko. Now I just see him as a friend, that's all. Nothing more"

"Wait, what? You don't… like him anymore?" Katara raised an eyebrow disbelievingly, and somehow felt a bit happy inside.

Mai suddenly smiled a rare kind of smile, "Hmph, I have a boyfriend now Katara"

"WHAT?!" Katara shouted. Her eyes widened by surprise and disbelieve. Mai? Had a boyfriend? That's just impossible. Katara flinched away from Mai and looked at her as if she's crazy. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Whoa there 'princess', what's with that language?" Mai said teasingly, "Yes I have a boyfriend now, his name is Chen. I met him when I was on a vacation to Ember Island with my parents. There was this party and so on, and I was bored. I was hanging out on the couch alone, then this guy came up to me. It was him"

"Heyy, Azula curses more than I do. She does that a lot, especially when she's training" Katara pouted. She then looked at Mai straight in the eyes and slowly nod, "And uhuh I see… wow I just, I just never thought that… you would-"

"I would what? Not have a boyfriend?" Mai asked, sounded a bit offended.

Katara's eyes widened as she realized that it sounded wrong, "Oh no-no! No, that's not what I meant. Oh c'mon Maiii, you knoow… You're all quiet and ugh well"

Mai chuckled a bit and waved her hands dismissively, "It's okay, I get it Katara. I understand. I know I used to look a bit… off. But, Chen was different. He seemed okay and cool, he doesn't talk too loud. The way he approached me was different from most boys, and I think that's why I gave him a chance. He's not that boring as well. It seems that we're working out pretty well"

Katara raised an eyebrow when Mai said the words "not that boring". Katara just nodded and encouraged Mai to hangout more with Chen to see where things were going. Mai told Katara it had been just around 5 months, and she didn't want to take it too fast.

"Anyway, what about you Katara?" Mai asked suddenly.

Katara snapped back from her trance, "Huh? Wha-what?"

"What, about, you? You know… with Zuko?" Mai smirked. Katara furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. When she slowly understood what Mai had meant, Katara's eyes widened in shock.

"Wha-What the hell are yo-"

Mai laughed for the first time, and Katara was embarrassed as hell. "Oh Katara, you should see the look on your face! Hahaha. You know damn well what I'm talking about. Don't try telling me that I know nothing"

Katara blushed heavily and looked away, "I-I don't know, huh you're just babbling things Mai. I don't know what you've been drinking! I hope it's not cactus juice"

* * *

"Geez… this is just weird. This is just really weird. I can't believe dad force us on a vacation" Katara said mindlessly as she stared at the fireplace next to her right side. Chilling in the library used to helped ease her mind. Whenever she's feeling uneasy, she would go to the library and read some amazing stories or even ink drawing.

"Yeah, I know right? This is very unusual and out of the blue" replied Zuko as he sat down on the cushion next to Katara. "I mean, what's so secret about the meeting that he didn't even want us here? This whole god damn palace is like another city, we could be anywhere. We don't need to go away that far, ugh damn it" Zuko poured a hot jasmine tea for both of them.

Katara just nodded and turned her head to look at Zuko. She flinched a little when she realized how close he was sitting next to her. A bit too close perhaps. Katara noticed the change in Zuko for the past years. She can't deny the fact that Zuko really was handsome for a young boy. His voice had changed into a deeper and raspier voice, his cheekbones were high, and his jawline was sharp.

Katara took a sharp breath as she remembered how Zuko flexed his muscles, when he's training firebending. How his abs were beginning to shape, and the veins in his arms were starting to get visible. Katara can't help it but feel attracted to him even more. Deep down, she knew that she already had liked Zuko since they were kids, but she would never admit it. But now that things began to change, it was really hard to deny the fact that she kept starring at Zuko more than she appropriately should.

"Uhm, Katara?" Zuko asked with a raised eyebrow.

Katara blinked her eyes, and snapped out of her trance, "Oh uh, yes?"

"I said, here's your tea. You should drink it now before it gets cold. Is… something wrong?"

"I uh, no-no. Nothing's wrong, I was just… a bit lost in thought hehe. Th-thanks Zuko" Katara took the teacup from Zuko's hand, and internally hoping he didn't notice her blushing.

Katara's fingers brushed a little against Zuko's hands, when she took the teacup. Zuko held his breath for a moment as he felt how soft her skin was. Zuko then took a glance towards Katara, trying to search for her deep blue eyes. Zuko can't help it but feel at peace whenever he looked into her eyes.

Zuko saw a lot of change in Katara. Starting from her childlike voice turning into a soft melodic voice, to the way her body started to transform into a more mature young lady like. Katara was no longer the little girl he knew. Zuko had noticed the way Katara's hips swayed when she walked, and how her slim arms twist and turn when she's bending. She really was beautiful, and Zuko can't help but imagine how even more beautiful she would be when she's fully grown.

Focusing on training every morning had started to become more difficult, with Katara there watching him practice. Zuko always hoped that she wouldn't notice the blush he tried so hard to hide. No matter how hard he tried to ignore her sometimes, he can't help it but felt her deep gaze stared at his back. Watching his every single move. It would be very embarrassing to look like a complete idiot in front of her, and so he had tried hard to keep cool and control of his movements.

"Anyway… don't forget to pack, Katara. Tomorrow we leave in the morning" Zuko said, as he picked up his own teacup and sipped a little bit.

"Oh yeap, sure. Hmm I wonder how many clothes should I bring" Katara tapped her chin with her slim fingers.

"Oh please, it's only for one night tara. You don't need that many clothes and stuffs. By the way, are you really going to invite Ty Lee and Mai too?"

"Yes, I did invite them already and they said yes" Katara stretched her arms out to grab the teapot on the table, but Zuko quickly grabbed it first and poured the tea for her.

"Great then, at least Azula would have someone to 'play' with. She gets a bit… ugh you know" said Zuko, as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Thanks and, yeah yeah, I know. She'll be with Ty Lee alright, but not with Mai I bet. Mai's going to be 'busy' with herself" Katara said with a smirk on her face, while sipping her tea.

Zuko furrowed his eyebrows and turned his head to look at Katara, "Huh? What do you mean?"

Katara put down the teacup and with a wide smile on her face, then she answered, "Mai has a boyfriend now, and he's from Ember Island. They met months ago and had been dating"

"WHAT?!" Zuko shouted in shock.

"Aahaha! I knew it! I knew that's how your reaction would be" Katara laughed, "I had the same reaction when she told me. It's true though, his name's Chen. Not long after they began dating, Chen moved to live in the fire nation capitol for few months. But a month ago he had something to do so he went back to Ember Island. So yeap, lucky Mai. She's gonna be so happy to see him again"

* * *

The next morning, Katara, Azula, and Zuko were escorted to the harbor with Lo and Li. Ozai had sent Lo and Li to take care of the kids, and kept an eye on them. Katara met Mai and Ty Lee at the harbor. As always, Ty Lee greeted them with a wide smile and a cheerful attitude, while Mai just simply said 'hello' and went back up to the ship's deck.

The trip to Ember Island was slow and boring. It felt like it's been forever since the last time Katara went outside the palace. It's good to be able to go out and catch some fresh air. But years living in the fire nation still couldn't stop Katara from complaining how hot and humid the air was. Katara was sweating so badly, and sometimes she felt like she would pass out from the terrible heat.

After changing her clothes into a more suitable outfit for hot weather, Katara went to the main ship's room where Azula and the others were hanging out. When she got there, she saw Ty Lee showing her 'moves' to Azula and Mai, while asking some stuff about Mai's boyfriend. Katara then noticed that Zuko wasn't there.

"Hey guys, um… where's Zuko?" Katara asked, walking closer towards her friends.

"I don't know, he went outside" Azula answered, "He said he needed to catch some air. He seemed a bit 'down' for some reason" Azula shrugged and sipped her hot cup of tea.

"Hmm, okay then. I'll go find him" Katara said as she turned on her heels and went outside. _I wonder where he is… if he said he wanted to catch some air then he must be up at the deck._ Katara thought to herself. She started to feel worry for Zuko, knowing that he must've been feeling depressed by having to go back to Ember Island. That place held so many precious memories that reminded Zuko of his mother.

As Katara got up to the front deck, she saw Zuko alone. His body bent forward, his hands resting on the railings. He seemed so deep in thought as he stared into the ocean below him.

Katara slowly walked towards Zuko from behind, "Zuko? Are you okay?"

Zuko slowly turned his head back to see Katara. Katara flinched a little when she saw the dark circles around his eyes. She wondered why she hasn't noticed that before. Zuko looked so tired and 'lost' at that moment. "Ohey, tara. Nothing, I'm fine"

Katara stood next to Zuko's left side and put her hands on the railings, "Zuko… you know you could tell me anything. You look… really tired"

Zuko sighed deeply and bowed his head low, "I don't know how I should feel, tara. I just… don't like this 'forced' vacation. Especially that we're going to Ember Island. I just don't want to go back there. I don't feel like it. Those painful memories are all still too fresh in my mind"

"Oh Zuko…" Katara wrapped her right hand around Zuko's shoulder, "I know, I know. I also don't really like this but hey. Let's see it this way… We're going on a vacation with our friends and we'll have fun, okay? Don't you think it's nice to sometimes go out of the palace?" she said as she squeezed Zuko's left hands with hers.

Zuko turned to look at Katara, and gave her a sad smile, "Yeah, you're right. I'll try my best. Thanks a lot Katara, you're always able to bring up the positive in me. Hope this vacation wouldn't turn into a disaster. Besides, what could get worse if you're here right?"

Katara blushed and moved away a little from Zuko. She looked away out into the ocean and nodded, "Ye-yes, true. And don't thank me Zuko, I'm just trying my best too" she sighed and smiled warmly, "Oh how I miss the sea a lot, Zuko. It feels great to be able to get this close to your element, you know. It feels so amazing"

"I agree with that" said Zuko, looking out into the horizon, "I love the ocean too. It gives me a sense of… freedom. It makes me feel alive somehow. I don't really know how to explain that. When I stare into the ocean below, deep into the waters… I feel like it gives me a sense of endless hope. But mysterious at the same time"

Katara chuckled, "Wow you really went 'deep' right there haha. But I do understand what you mean. But I never thought that the endless vast of unknowing blue, could make you feel that way. I mean, you're a firebender after all"

"What's with me being a 'firebender'? That doesn't mean that I'm not able to understand and 'feel' the other elements, right?" Zuko asked, as he raised an eyebrow.

"I-uh, uh yeah. I know, I know" Katara slowly smiled, "I feel the same way too. The ocean gives me a sense of endless freedom. But eh I don't know, it's just that… there's something about the color 'blue' that makes you feel calm and relax, but curious as it's a mystery at the same time"

Zuko chuckled then grinned, as he looked straight into Katara's eyes, "Yeah… true, just like your eyes" As he realized what he had just said, he blushed heavily and quickly looked away. Katara flinched and looked down. Zuko cleared his throat and gathered up the courage to speak again, "Urhm, anyway… we-we should get back inside. We'll arrive soon, we gotta get ready"

"Oh y-yes. Yeah we should um, do that…" Katara agreed awkwardly, as she played with her hair. She really hoped that her caramel colored skin could hide the redness on her cheek.

* * *

When they all had arrived, Lo and Li brought the kids to where they would stay the night. It was a pretty 'okay' house near the beach that belonged to Lo and Li. It seemed that even though Ozai had never mentioned anything about Ursa, he knew that the kids probably wouldn't feel comfortable staying in their own house. So he told the old twins to pick another place to stay. Since Lo and Li were supposed to look after the kids anyway, they thought it's best to bring the kids to their place.

Azula complained to Katara how 'simple' and 'common' this house is, while Zuko complained that their room smelled like 'old people'. Ty Lee rarely complained, in fact, Katara thought that Ty Lee never actually complained at all. As for Mai, she just gruffed annoyingly and threw her bag to her bed.

After they settled down a bit, and secured all of their belongings, Mai brought them to meet Chen first. Chen had also introduced his best friends Ra, Lee, and Han. Since this vacation was supposed to be a bit private, Azula told Mai to tell Chen and his friends, not to let anyone else knew who they really were. Chen agreed with that, and invited them all to his party later that night.

For the whole afternoon, the group spent their time at the beach. Mai was cuddling with Chen under a red umbrella. Not far from her, sat Azula and Ty Lee. Ra and Lee were hitting on Ty Lee a lot, while still keeping their distance from Azula. Few feets away, Katara and Zuko rested under the same umbrella.

"My freaking god, it's so hot here!" Katara complained.

Zuko rolled his eyes, "Well yeah, what do you expect? It has always been like this"

"Uuggh!" Katara huffed. She even thought several times to just leave the group and go back to the house, since it was just too hot at the bach. She felt like she could pass out at any moment. Good thing she had changed into her red bikini, even though she still brought her white kimono. Deep inside, she had hoped that the heat really was from the sun, not from herself.

She can't help the fact that it was hard to stay relax, when she's being too close to a shirtless Zuko. In fact, their shoulders were actually touching each other's. Katara glanced at the sweat, dripping from his chiseled abs down to his stomach. Katara blushed and looked away to her right side.

Far to her right side, she saw two girls sitting next to each other. They grinned heavily as they whispered something to each other's ears. Katara furrowed her eyebrows and wondered, but then she saw a little bit of blush forming on the girls' cheeks. She then realized what they were looking at, and somehow felt a bit irritated by it. But Katara tried to cover it up but smirking and teased Zuko, "Hey, hey, flameo"

Zuko huffed annoyingly, and turned his head to look at Katara, "Don't call me that"

"Look at those girls over there" Katara tilted her head to the side, "I think they're 'looking' at you"

Zuko smirked a little and turned his head to look away, "Huh, so what do you want me to do?"

Katara pouted, "Oh c'mo-"

"Hey um, Princess Katara"

Katara and Zuko looked up to see Han standing in front of them, holding two ice creams.

"Shh! Don't call me that! Remember what Azula had said" Katara said lowly behind her teeth.

Han's eyes widened in realization and quickly kneeled down in front of them, as to be able to talk closer to Katara "Oh, sorry! Sorry! I forgot" he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Katara"

Zuko glared at Han from under his eyebrows, "The fuck you want, peasant?"

"Oh, Zuko! Don't be like that!" Katara's eyes widened, "I'm really sorry, he didn't mean that. And it's okay Han. Apology accepted. What's up?" she said with a warm smile on her face.

Han blushed and glanced away for a bit, then looked back at Katara, "I uhm… I just thought that, it's probably too hot here. So uh… here I, bought you an ice cream. It's vanilla, I-I hope you'll like it" he said, as he stretched out his right hand to offer Katara the ice cream, his head bowing a little.

"Ohh, for… me? Wow Han, right on time! I was melting like crazy! Haha, thanks a lot!" Katara gleefully accepted the ice cream, and immediately began licking it.

Han then looked at Zuko from behind his eyelashes, "I-I'm sorry I didn't… uhm, I didn't know that youre also he-"

"Okay, now that you're done, just fuck off…" Zuko said menacingly.

Han flinched away and bowed his head, "Ye-yes, pri-I mean… Zuko" he immediately stood up and walked away.

Katara shook her head, "Zuko… what's with you really? That was really mean! He just came here to give me an ice cream. It was thoughtful of him"

Zuko scoffed and stuck his nose up in the air, "Tch! Whatever…"

* * *

That night, Katara and the others went to the party at Chen's big beach house. It was so crowded with teenagers alike. They were all chatting endlessly, drinking, and some eating. Katara didn't see Mai too much at the party, she thought that maybe Mai went to somewhere probably private with Chen. As for Azula and Ty Lee, they were talking while drinking.

Katara felt a bit dizzy from drinking a bit of cactus juice, she's never used to it. She thought that it's best to sit for a bit on a bench nearby. Right as Katara sat down, she suddenly heard Azula laughed aloud from the distance. Her laugh sounded so forced but a bit awkward. Katara wondered what that was all about, but then she saw Ty Lee applauding Azula for it. Katara just brushed it off and thought that maybe those two just drank a bit too much.

"Hey Katara, are you okay? You don't look so good…"

"Zuko?" Katara looked up to see Zuko holding a drink in his right hand. "I'm alright, just a bit dizzy, that's all"

Zuko just nodded then sat down beside Katara on the bench. "What a party, huh? So freaking crowded. A bit too loud for me too" he complained.

Katara rolled her eyes, "Zuko, the hell you expect from a party? Of course it's crowded and loud"

"Yeah, yeah. That's why it's a 'commoner' party" said Zuko, as he laid back and rested his arms around the bench.

Katara shook her head and looked at Zuko, "Zuko, seriously? What's with you today?"

Zuko closed his eyes and laid his head back, "Nevermind…" he opened his eyes and sighed, "Just a bit, caught up I suppose. Whatever, anyway… aren't you hungry or something? There's some good food there, I gotta give credit to that at least"

"Yeah, I'm-" Katara's stomach suddenly growled in hunger, "Whoops hehe… yeap, I'm hungry. But ugh, I'm still a bit too dizzy to even stand up and walk. I'll eat later I suppose…"

Zuko put his glass on a table beside the bench, then he stood up and smiled at Katara, "No need for that. I'll get the food for you. Wait here, okay?"

Katara smiled with her heavy lidded eyes, "Thanks and, Zuko… of course I will wait here. How the hell do you expect me to run away when I'm dizzy like this?"

Zuko just smirked and shrugged it off, and walked away as he disappeared into the crowd. Katara laid her back to the bench, and sighed heavily. _Gosh, what's with that dork sometimes?_ She thought to herself.

"Hey there, Katara"

Katara looked up to see Han again, holding two glasses. "Oh, hey there…" she said, her voice sounding a bit weak.

Han furrowed his eyebrows, "Uhm, are you… okay, Katara?"

"I'm fine, thanks. I think I drank too much cactus juice, even though it's just a little actually. I'm not used to drinking. I just feel… a bit dizzy that's all" Katara answered.

"Oh haha, then I'm right on time again I suppose. Cuz I just brought you a glass of water, here…" Han offered the glass to Katara which she accepted happily, then drank the whole glass.

"Thanks a lot, Han" Katara smiled warmly, "It helps hehe"

"Please, no need to thank me" Han said, as he slowly bowed a little and whispered, "At your service…"

 _Hmm, I hope she'll like this one…_ Zuko thought to himself as he picked up some dumplings to a small plate he's holding. _I hope it's chicken dumplings, she likes that a lot. Wait a min, this looks… pretty spicy. Maybe I should try it a bit before giving it to her._ Zuko then heard two young boys whispering to each other behind him.

"You mean, the one that's sitting there on the bench?" a raspy high pitched voice asked.

"Yeess Fei, that's the one!"

"Over there, right?" Fei asked his friend again.

"My fucking god, Fei. How many times do I have to hell you?" a low voice replied.

"C'mon Kuro, I just wanna make sure! She is really pretty…" Fei said to his friend, Kuro.

"Pretty? Haha, duud" Kuro chuckled deeply, "She's fucking hot! I've never seen anyone like her before"

"Yeah, I agree. She is "different" alright. But I bet she has a boyfriend already, man" said Fei with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"So what? I'll talk to her, and no one will stop me. Just look at her. Look, at, her. Her skin is flawless and exotic. Her hair is so thick and wavy. Her eyes man… damn, they're so gorgeous and blue. And her hips, yes. Especially her hips, feel like I wanna f-" Kuro was surprised to suddenly see a face so close to him.

"The FUCK, did you just say about that girl?" Zuko asked with a menacing growl, his eyebrows furrowed heavily. His eyes shining with anger and intimidation.

"Who the FUCK are you?" Kuro asked, as he straightened up himself. Kuro hoped he could hide the tremble in his voice. Deep down, he was pretty scared at this guy in front of him. Zuko looked really intimidating with his fists clenched, and the veins beside his jawline appeared. "Are you her 'boyfriend'? If so, you should pay attention more to that 'guy' over there…" Kuro said, as he pointed towards Han across the room with Katara.

Zuko snapped his head towards where Katara was sitting, and he saw Han rested his shoulder on the wall near Katara. Han bent his body forward, while taking a sip from his glass. Zuko scrunched his nose and pushed Kuro aside roughly, as he stomped towards Katara and Han.

"Oh wow, I see. That's really cool! So what else could you do in martial art?" Katara asked Han with a gleeful smile on her face.

Han smirked a bit, "Weell a bit of this and that… I could 'show' you if you want me to" Then Han slowly furrowed his eyebrow, looking a bit suspicious, "But um hey, don't wanna make this awkward hehe… but, where's your 'brother', by the way? He doesn't really seem to like m-"

"HEY!" Zuko suddenly pushed Han by his shoulder. The water from Han's glass spilled a little onto the floor, and Han slipped. He fell hard on his bottom.

Katara's eyes widened in shock and gasped, "Han! Oh, are you alright?" Katara immediately got down from the bench trying to help Han, ignoring the dizziness, "Zuko! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

As Katara bent lower to help Han, her top got loose a little around the chest. Han squinted his eyes in pain, but trying his hard to regain his focus. When Han finally had his focus back, he can't help but suddenly stare 'down' at Katara.

Zuko noticed this, and immediately grabbed Han's back collar and pulled him back up, "What the fuck were you looking at, peasant?" he growled. Zuko then pushed Han hard to the wall behind him, "What, were, you, looking at?"

Han's eyes widened in fear, his hands helplessly trying to free Zuko's hands from his front collar, "P-please, please, I didn't mean any harm t-to your sister" Han then lowered his voice to whisper, "Please, your highness. F-forgive me, I just brought her so-"

"You listen here, pest. Don't you dare come near her anymore, you fucking got it?" Zuko said in a low tone, glaring at Han from behind his eyebrows. Zuko then let go of Han, and gestured him to go away. Han glanced a bit towards Katara and bowed his head a little, as he walked away hurriedly.

Katara's jaw dropped after witnessing what had happened, she can't believe how embarrassing that was, "What… what the HELL was that all about, Zuko?!"

"What was that all about? Ugh, Katara. Didn't you even notice it? The 'way' he was looking at you?!" Zuko raised his voice in anger and annoyance.

"Wha-what? Zuko, what's wrong with you seriously?! There's nothing wrong at all, nothing happened! Han just came here and brought me a glass of water, that's all!" Katara clenched her fist.

"Oh yeah?! What were you guys talking about then, huh?" Zuko's jaws clenched. He didn't even know what's the real reason he was feeling so angry. He huffed angrily and looked away.

"Oh my god Zuko, Han was just telling me about his hobby in martial art. I just asked him about it and that's it! He then told me he could probably show it to me if I want to" Katara held up her hands.

Zuko's head suddenly snapped up when he heard Katara said "show it to me". Zuko's eyes widened in shock, then turned into pure anger and disgust, "SEE, Katara?! Don't you even know what that fucking means?! Oh my god, I'm so gonna get that-"

"Huh, what? Zuko, what's wrong with you? Ugh! Why do you have to be so infuriating?! Why are you doing this?!" Katara clenched her fists and stomped on the ground. She realized that some of the people near her and Zuko, were starting to stare and watch. _This just couldn't get any more embarrassing,_ she thought to herself.

"What's wrong with me? No, what's wrong with YOU?!" Zuko yelled as he pointed out a finger towards Katara, "You have no idea what he had meant, because you're just too naïve! And I'm doing this to protect you! You know that!"

"Naïve? First of all, how DARE you, Zuko? Second, I don't need any protection for god's sake! I'm fine, Zuko. Nothing happened!" Katara couldn't even believe what's happening. Katara thought that maybe Zuko drank too much cactus juice, and he was being really weird.

Zuko was taken a back and flinched a little. He stepped back a bit, "We-well… Cuz, ugh!" Zuko cursed aloud and fisted his hair in distress, "Agni, Katara. You're the one who's so infuriating! I did that b-because you're my sister!" he shouted.

 _Oh great, now everyone is starring at us. My god, I just want to go back home and burry myself._ Katara thought to herself. "The hell, Zuko? That's bullshit! Since when you use that reason, huh?! Ugh, please…" Katara was too tired to deal with this. She turned on her heels and walked towards the back door. "Just… drop it, Zuko. I need to get some fresh air"

Katara got outside, and as she was about to close the door behind her, she heard Zuko yelled, "What the hell are you all looking at?!" Then she heard a plate crashed onto the floor, and a loud curse. She just sighed heavily and walked down the stairs from the balcony, to the beach.

Katara noticed that it was probably almost midnight. The wind felt chilling, and Katara shivered. She hugged herself, and wished that she had brought her kimono with her. _Oh well, at least I already wore my long skirt,_ she thought to herself. _Where should I go? I don't even feel like going back there just yet… Maybe, I should go to our private house. It's not far from here anyway, just by five minutes walking and I'll get there._

When Katara arrived, she just stared into the front door with heavy lidded eyes. She suddenly felt her heart clenched in sorrow and anguish. She really missed her mother, sometimes she felt so lost without her. She thought that maybe coming here was a bad idea after all, as painful memories of the past started to come back.

Katara laid her back onto the pillar near the stairs. She felt her eyes watered, as she slowly slid down onto the floor. She sat there in silence alone. She held her face with her palms, as tears flooded from her eyes.

"I can't do this… I can't, I can't do this… I can't do this" she mumbled between heavy sobs to herself behind her palms.

"Katara? Huh, thought I'd find you here…"

Katara didn't look up, as she was too embarrassed to look at the person with that familiar voice, "Wh-what, do y-you want, Azula?" she asked while still sobbing. "P-please just… g-go away, please. Don't look at me, li-like this… Oh, this is embarrassing"

"Oh please, Katara. I don't mind at all" Azula sighed then sat beside Katara. "Hey now, please stop crying. I know what happened, I saw it" Azula then awkwardly grabbed and pulled Katara's wrist away, trying to look her in the eyes.

"Ughh, don't remind me what happened. It was embarrassing, everyone was starring!" Katara wailed.

Azula furrowed her eyebrows, "Not everyone. Trust me"

Upon hearing the words "trust me", Katara immediately looked up to see Azula. It was a very rare thing for Azula to say such things. Katara didn't know what to feel at that moment. Then for the first time ever, Katara saw Azula smiled a genuine smile. Katara really thought she must have been dreaming.

"Seriously, Katara. It's not that bad, just forget about it. Zuko must have drank a bit too much cactus juice" Azula rolled her eyes, "that idiot"

Katara chuckled a little, "Y-yeah… Thanks, Azula"

"Hey, let's just get back, okay? It's depressing here" Azula said, as she slowly stood up and stretched her hands towards Katara. "C'mon, the others might be looking for us. Don't wanna make those morons wait"

Katara wiped her tears away with her knuckles, then took Azula's hand, "Yeah, sure…" Katara stood up then brushed off her skirt, "I just… Sorry, I'm just a bit under pressure. That's all"

Azula looked away towards the sea in the distance, "I know. But hey, try to forget the past, okay? You don't want to keep remembering something bitter, right?"

Katara smiled, "You're right…"

* * *

"Hey, Zuko! What happened back there? What's with all the fuss?" Ty Lee approached Zuko from behind. Ty Lee decided to confront Zuko when she saw him outside at the balcony. He was resting his arms on the balcony's railing.

"You know damn well what had happened" Zuko answered without looking at Ty Lee.

Ty Lee sighed, "I can't believe Han actually dared to 'ask' Katara out, even though knowing who she is. But hey, I gotta say… at least he tried being polite. He didn't force Katara to come with him or whatever. That's what I saw" she shrugged herself.

Zuko huffed annoyingly, "Yeah, yeah. I know that. He was being polite because he knew who she is, duh" he ran his fingers through his hair, "I think I might have overreacted a little bit though. But, c'mon! Katara told me he was saying stuffs about 'showing' this and that. Still, that's not very polite"

Ty Lee pouted, "True… that was inappropriate though"

"Yeah, but you won't even believe the shit I heard from some other guys. They were whispering about some 'stuffs'. I heard them behind me, when I was getting food for Katara" Zuko turned back and rested his back on the railing, "They were saying some really inappropriate, nasty stuffs"

Ty Lee furrowed her eyebrows, "Like… um, what?"

"This particular guy, named Kuro, as I recall. Even said stuff like I wanna f-" Zuko's eyes widened a bit then waved his hands dismissively, "Ah fuck it. Don't even wanna say it"

Upon realizing what Zuko had wanted to say, Ty Lee blushed and looked away, "Oh my god! Those bastards! Freaking perverts, they should-"

"Okay, Ty Lee. Just, stop it. I don't… I don't even want to think about it" Zuko huffed and looked away.

"Oh okay, okay… sorry" Ty Lee looked down, "You know Zuko… you can't hide it forever, you know"

Zuko's head snapped back to look at Ty Lee, "What are you talking about?"

"Zuko…" Ty Lee sighed deeply, sounding tired, "You know what I'm talking about. Don't try to deny it, it's very clear. You should tell her sooner or later. Don't you want her to know?"

Zuko looked up to see the starry night sky, "Then what? It's not that easy Ty Lee"

"You make her understand, of course. Don't just let her know, make her understand too! I know you can do it. You always have the courage to do anything" exclaimed Ty Lee.

Zuko smiled a sad smile, "Not this one though… What if she doesn't, ugh, you know what? Nevermind. I'm going back inside. I think you should go back too, the others might be looking" Zuko immediately walked back inside.

Ty Lee shook her head and sighed, "I just hope you could tell her. Before it's too late…" she said in a low tone. She had hoped for Zuko to hear her, but it's no use as Zuko had already closed the door behind him.

* * *

Author's note : So yes, some of the characters might be a bit ooc, or not. Depends on you readers. I try to keep the characters still in their canon character, but at the same time… not really THAT canon. It's hard especially to write Azula, her character is very complex. But yes, Azula DOES care for her friends. She still has a heart, she's not born a psycho. She was mentally abused by Ozai, always expected to be the perfect prodigy. Also for Chen, yes he was inspired by the real 'Chan' from the episode, "The Beach". But I changed his character and personality here. Reviews please! :D


	10. Chapter 10 - A Scar for A Life

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : This chapter will have some mild "tensions" here. This story is rated M, just to remind you again, but I would still keep it low for now.

CHAPTER 10 – A Scar for A Life

Another year has passed, and Katara began to wonder where would her life truly be. She's now 16 years old and soon enough she'll turn into a young lady. She knew that she couldn't keep on living like this in the fire nation. She had to start forming a plan. It's been 4 years, and Katara had not opened Kana's private box yet.

Katara never thought that she would ever see Zuko, in a more different "perspective" so soon. Zuko was now 18 years old, and he's started to grow even more. His body was tall and lean, his hair was shaggy and reached his shoulder, his perfect chiseled abs was formed. Katara had noticed that Zuko had grown into a powerful bender, even though not as powerful as Azula.

Azula was always a step ahead from Zuko. She even learned how to produce lighting, a very difficult firebending technique. Zuko had tried, but failed every time. He always had problems controlling his emotions, and it's said that his emotions were the problem. Yet still, Katara felt so proud for Zuko. It's weird that sometimes Katara acted all motherly towards Zuko. Most of time, Zuko just let her be that way even thought it got really annoying.

One particular moment, Katara was surprised to see Zuko coming to her room with his left cheek all red. When Katara inspected closer, she saw a little bruise forming on his cheekbone. She immediately healed his bruise before asking anything.

" _Oh Agni! Zuko, what the hell happened to you?! Did you fall and hit yourself or something?" Katara asked with worry in her eyes, as she healed Zuko's bruise._

 _Zuko sighed deeply and closed his eyes, "I talked to dad. Apparently I angered him and… and well, he… he strike me"_

 _Katara's eyes widened in shock, "HE WHAT?! No way, Zuko! How could he? And what were you both talking about?"_

 _Tears started to form in Zuko's eyes, "I remember that one day, I heard him w-with… some women in his room, I don't know who a-and so, it reminded me of mom. The next day, I-I… I asked about mom, and… h-he didn't want to talk. He didn't say anything about her. He just… changed the topic and…"_

" _Zuko…" Katara slowly pulled Zuko into a tight hug._

" _I kept pushing him to tell what happened those years ago. Ugh, I just miss her a lot, tara"_

" _I know, I know. Me too..."_

Katara had always known that Ozai never was a kind person. Even when Katara was young, she already felt that Ozai never had compassion in his heart, let alone love. She kept trying to believe that he cared for his family at least, but he never showed any sign of caring, or even sadness. All Ozai did was compliment his kids whenever he approved of something, and that was it. He would then dismiss them again.

"Ok, wooh. Today, I'm gonna go train earlier. I wanna try some other techniques" Katara said to herself as she's getting ready, "So hard when you have no one better then you, to train you, hah" she said with a smirk.

 _Oh geez… for a sec, why did I kind of sound like Azula? Haha, oh well nevermind_. Katara thought to herself. She walked through the long hallways to the training room with confidence. When she got there, she saw Zuko meditating alone. As Katara got closer, Zuko slowly opened his eyes as he heard Katara's footsteps.

"Oh, whoops. Sorry, Zuko… didn't mean to interrupt you" Katara apologized as she took a seat next to Zuko.

Zuko smiled warmly at Katara, "It's okay. I just wanted to relax a bit before training" he then slowly furrowed his eyebrows, "You're pretty early today"

Katara rolled her eyes, "Could say the same to you"

Zuko smirked and looked away, "Yeah… Guang got ill, he can't teach for a while now. I don't know what happened to him though"

"Mhmm, I see…" Katara nodded her head mindlessly.

"Oh and, Azula's not coming. She said she's 'busy' with something, a bit unusual for her" Zuko added.

"Huh, that's weird. She's always punctual about her training, oh well…" Katara just shrugged it off. "I'm here early because I wanted to try something different by the way. And well, I just thought that… maybe I need some more time to meditate as well"

"Ah, I see…" Zuko suddenly stood up and looked down at Katara, "You know what, I'm kind of bored actually. I want to try something different as well. Say… we spar?" he grinned.

Katara's eyes widened for a moment, then she smirked and looked up at Zuko from behind her eyebrows. "Ahaa, I see then… a challenge. I gladly accept!"

"Nah, not a challenge" Zuko waved his right hand, "Just wanted to see how 'good' you are, 'master' Katara" Zuko said as he quickly stepped back, knowing that Katara might hit him on the shoulder like she used to.

"OH! It's on!"

Katara and Zuko both stood facing each other, few meters away. They both took their stance. Zuko had counted to three, and they both immediately began attacking each other. They both fought with the same level of power, techniques, and stealthiness.

Katara had been creating water spikes out of thin air with no difficulties, and Zuko had attacked Katara several times with his fire whips. They both able to defend themselves and eluded each other's attacks.

"Huh, you're not so bad after all Zu-zu" Katara taunted with a smirk on her face. She was now sweating a lot, and breathing heavily.

Zuko panted and re-took his stance, "Don't call me that"

Zuko summoned some fire from a scone nearby, behind Katara. Before it hit her, Katara took notice of this and turned her back quickly to put the fire out with freezing water. Zuko smirked to himself, as he knew that his trick might work after all. Right after Katara had dissipated the fire, Zuko quickly summoned another fire out of Katara's view, and sent it to her lower pants. Katara swing and tripped on her right foot, which sent her falling to the floor on her back.

"Argh, fuck!" Katara yelped as she hit her head on the floor.

"Haha, whoops sorry" Zuko walked quickly to stand in front of Katara, "Guess I win then" he winked, as he stretched out his arm to help Katara up.

Katara thought fast as how to trick Zuko back, and win the fight. She quickly planned a move, and tried her best to focus on forming water out of thin air. It was pretty hard as she's still dizzy from the hit. "Huh, whatever…" she said as she tentatively reached out her arm to grab Zuko's.

Right before Katara grabbed Zuko's hand, she felt her element nearby and decided to quickly extract it. "But you know…" she said with a smirk, "I don't think so". Katara quickly summoned her element and sent it hard to Zuko's head.

"Ouch!" Zuko went flying to the side and fell hard on his bottom. "Fuck! That's not fair at all!" he said as he flipped his wet front bangs.

"Could say the same to you, flameo boy" Katara grinned and pulled herself up.

"Tch, stop calling me that, seriously…" Zuko slowly stood up and wiped his face, "Damn it, look what you've done to me. I'm all wet and sticky"

Katara giggled, "wet and sticky, huh"

Zuko furrowed his eyebrows, then slowly looked up at Katara, "Wait, what did you say?"

Katara's eyes widened as she blushed, "I-uh, never mind um" she quickly looked away, and scratched her elbows in nervousness.

Zuko scratched his head, "Uhmm, anyway… I-wait. Wait a minute. I don't… I don't remember that plant over there all dried up before. I think it was perfectly normal just before we started training" he said as he pointed to a pot nearby.

Katara slowly trailed her eyes to where Zuko was pointing, and stared at the pot. She felt as if her jaw had fell to the floor, "Oh, my, Agni. I swear, I-I…"

"Katara. Don't tell me that…"

"I can't believe I could even do it, I don't… understand" Katara then stared at her palms, "It seems that in time of 'need' and sudden, I had summoned water from a… a plant. I sucked it all dry! No wonder why I felt a bit weird when I did that. It's something like…"

"Sucking a life out of something" Zuko added. "This is something Katara. This is the talent that you have"

"You know… I don't know what to feel. I don't know if it's good or not. Ah, never mind. Anyway, I'm gonna go take a bath and relax. I'm tired" Katara said as she walked towards the door to leave.

"Um, okay… I-uh gotta go too. See ya later then, tara" Zuko waved Katara goodbye.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm able to do it… I didn't know that's even possible" Katara whispered to herself while she's scrubbing her legs. She slowly submerged herself deeper into the water until it reached her nose. She blew some bubbles and giggled to herself. Katara sat up straight again, and sighed heavily, "Talent, huh? That might be true but… is it even a good thing?"

Katara stared at her own hands under the water, "Even though it's just a plant, but still, I sucked a life out of something that's living" she then slowly laid her back to the bathtub's edge, "ah to hell with it, maybe I'm thinking too much about it. Maybe it's nothing… Oh, Kana… how I really wish you were here now. I hope that you're okay out there. I hope that you're united with your family"

 _Wait a minute, maybe I could find some books about ancient waterbending. Or maybe anything that's related to waterbending._ Katara thought to herself. _Besides, I think I need to know more about my real tribe… my real people. I still can't forget the fact that I'm a water tribe girl. Geez, what's with the fire nation and it's war and not appreciating other nations? They even forbid me to learn too much about my own people._ But then Katara realized, which were her real people? She got frustrated, knowing that the fire nation had never been her real home.

"Okay, time to go to the library then…" Katara stood up and dried herself, "But I doubt there would be any books that mentioned any serious ancient water stuffs"

Katara combed her hair and put her fire nation crown into her topknot, "Any bit of description or history could help probably… Ugh, I really hope so"

As Katara got into the library, she immediately searched for any books related to the water tribe. It felt like hours, and she still hadn't found anything. The whole room was spacious with so many books covering the entire walls, some even reached to the ceiling. "My god! How the hell am I suppose to find it?! This is crazy!" Katara shouted as she's getting even more frustrated with her situation.

Then, Katara noticed some books that looked a bit different and peculiar than the others. It sat on the edge row, three levels of shelves from the very top. She squinted her eyes to get a better look and saw three books, which were yellow, green, and blue. "Huh, maybe I should check the blue one…" Katara looked to the left then to the right to find a ladder. "Ah, there it is!" She grabbed the ladder and pulled it to where she saw the books.

Katara felt her feet wobbled a bit as she's now three steps on the ladder, "Whoah, this ladder seems pretty old. I hope it won't break" she whispered to herself. Katara looked up and sighed sadly, "Oh man, that is so far up…"

For what felt like forever, Katara had finally reached the row of books she wanted to check. "Eugh, so dusty" she wiped some dusts from the books' side, and read the titles slowly.

"My, my! These are histories and legends of the earth kingdom, air temples, and… and water tribe!" Katara's eyes widened in amazement. She grabbed the water tribe book, and blew off the dusts, "Okay, water tribe… here it is"

Katara held the book tightly as she slowly descended the ladder. On her midway through, she heard the ladder cracked and her legs wobbled, "Oh n-no. No. NO! AHH!"

"Kataraa!"

"OUCH!"

Katara had landed on her back, but strangely, she didn't hurt and felt something soft behind her. Her head felt a bit dizzy from the impact, then she slowly turned around, "Wha-what…?" Katara realized that she had fell and landed on Zuko. Her eyes widened in realization that she's sitting on top of him now, "Oh, Agni! Zuko?!"

"Ughh…." Zuko grunted in pain, "My head…" he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Katara, "Ka-Katara? Are you okay?"

"Wha-I-I'm okay! I'm okay, oh gosh I'm the one who should ask you if you're okay. Oh my god, I'm so sorry Zuko… Here, let me heal you" Katara's eyebrows furrowed in worry and guilt.

Zuko scratched his head, and slowly sat up with his elbows, "Na-nah… It's okay, I'm good" he squinted his eyes at Katara, "What… the hell… were you doing?"

"I-uh, I was trying to find a book about waterbending or something. Anything that I could find to know more about-um, about my… bending abilities" Katara spoke a bit too fast, and lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Ah, I see…" Zuko furrowed his eyebrows, then softly touched his forehead with his palm.

Katara bit her lower lip, "D-does it still hurts? Is it your head? Please, let me heal you. Don't want to have any scars right? It'll make you fe-"

Zuko chuckled lowly, "It's okay Katara. Really, I'm fine. Thanks though… Guess I came here right on time haha" Zuko smiled warmly, "Besides, if I have a scar from falling, then what? A scar for a life, right?" he smirked.

Katara smiled shyly and looked away, "Oh j-just shut it, Zuko…"

Zuko stared at Katara's eyes. "Don't move" he said, as he slowly reached out his right hand towards Katara's face.

"What? Is there something on my face? On my hair? Oh my god, don't tell me it's a bug!" Katara spoke quickly.

"Geez Katara, relax" Zuko softly brushed his knuckles on Katara's cheek, as he flicked some hair strands and tucked it behind her left ear, "There. Just some loose hair from your topknot. You better fix it soon before your crown falls off, princess" Zuko smirked.

Katara blinked her eyes several times then blushed heavily. She looked away and hoped with all her might, that Zuko didn't see her blushing. Katara slowly turned her head back to see Zuko, and flinched in shock when Zuko bent his body closer to her.

Katara suddenly realized that she's still sitting on Zuko's hip, and her legs kneeling around Zuko's legs. Katara blushed even more and her eyes widened in utter embarrassment, "Oh, Agni. I'm so sorry! I-uh" Katara tried to stand up but she felt her legs cramped, and fell on between Zuko's legs.

"Whoah there, are you… okay, Katara?"

"Ow, m-my legs g-got cramped. Um-uh, I-sorry again" Katara stumbled upon her words, and felt her face heating. Katara blinked her eyes as she suddenly felt something else 'down' there, on where she's sitting. She slowly looked up, trying to find Zuko's face and saw that he's looking straight at her intensely. Katara noticed that Zuko had a different, weird expression. His eyes pupil slowly grew larger, and for a second, he glanced down and looked back up at Katara again.

Katara blushed heavily as she realized what it had meant. Ignoring the dizziness, Katara suddenly stood up and grabbed the book that had fell nearby, "I-I'm going now, se-see ya later!" she quickly walked towards the door, tripping a little.

"H-hey! Wait, Katara! Wha-"

Without looking back, Katara immediately shut the door and ran as fast as she could to her bedroom. When she got there, she was panting heavily. Still clutching the book to her chest, she slowly walked and plopped to her bed, "Fuck my life. That… was so awkward"

When Zuko got to his bedroom, he quickly walked towards his bed while disrobing himself. He pulled his pants' knots impatiently. "Fuck, fuck!" he grunted in frustration. He kept trying to loosen the knot, but it just got tighter. "To hell with it!" he quickly burned his pants as he lost his patience. Thinking that he wore his everyday informal pants, he had nothing to worry about losing one.

Zuko hopped onto his bed, and quickly got under the sheets. He breathed heavily as he started to have with his way, "Fuck, Katara…" he panted.

* * *

Katara stared at herself in the mirror with a grim expression, "Today is a new day. I should feel confident but… ugh" Katara closed her eyes and pinched her nose bridge, "I can't help it but feel… feel so grim today"

Katara opened her eyes and grabbed a comb. _I can't help it but feel as if something really bad is going to happen today. What is this ominous feeling?_ She thought to herself as she slowly combed her hair. _No, No. I should stop thinking negatively. I must start the day with an upbeat attitude._

When Katara got out of the bathroom, she heard someone's knocking on her bedroom door. "Hm, who could that be?"

Another knocking on the door, which was louder and quicker than before. "Ugh, so impatient…" Katara grumbled to herself under her breath. She quickly slipped into her sandals and walked towards the door, "Yess! I'm coming!"

"Kataraa!"

 _Shit, it's Zuko! Damn it._ Katara felt a bit nervous as she reached the door handle, and slowly turned it, "Yes…?" she poked her head out.

"H-hi, Katara…" Zuko said.

"Um-hi, Zuko. What's up?" Katara opened the door wider, and gestured Zuko to come in. Katara noticed that Zuko was blushing a little, and he avoided eye contact several times. _Hmm, I wonder what's with him now…_ she wondered.

Zuko calmed himself down and breathed deeply. "Okay, phew. Katara, I got something to tell you. Since I was-like you-know, um-like eighteen years old already… now I'm able-to-go-" Zuko talked quickly as if he's so nervous about something.

"Wow, wow, Zuko… what?"

"Okay, okay…" Zuko took a deep breath and exhaled, "Since I'm already eight teen years old, dad told me that I'm old enough to attend private war meetings! Dad also said that it's time for me, t-to finally… you know, to be trained. To be the next Fire Lord!"

"Oh-my-agni, really?! That's so cool! Wow, Zuko. Congrats! I bet you'll learn well in no time!" Katara happily exclaimed.

Zuko chuckled, "Haha, yeap! I'm so excited, tara! Dad told me to attend a war meeting in just an hour. So I gotta go and get ready now"

Katara smiled warmly, "I'm sooo happy and proud of you, Zuko! Good luck" Katara pulled Zuko into a tight hug.

Zuko flinched in surprise and blushed heavily. He then slowly returned the hug and buried his head to Katara's shoulder. "Thanks a lot, tara. That means a lot to me" he slowly pulled away and smiled, "I'll see you this evening, okay?"

* * *

"Yes, I agree with General Li here. We must attack the Earth Kingdom at their what-so-ever festival day. They wouldn't suspect an attack from the fire nation" exclaimed General Hong.

"Thank you, General Hong. That is correct, they wouldn't suspect a thing. We'll surprise them alright. But what about the other group that will sneak into the King's palace? We need another group to distract the soldiers" General Li said, as he scratched his chin.

"And the Dai Li" General Iroh added. He closed his eyes and slowly opened them again, and looked up at the other generals. "Do not forget about the Dai Li as well. They are very powerful and talented benders. They are very very loyal to their king"

"Tch, no doubt about that" General Hong stuck his nose up in the air. "Your highness, Fire Lord Ozai. What do you think of this plan?"

Fire Lord Ozai stared at the audience of generals and also his son, prince Zuko, from behind the flames around his throne. He nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, I agree. We must distract the other soldiers, and also the Dai Li. Especially, the Dai Li"

General Li exhaled and smiled proudly, "Then we will choose a group of firebenders to attack the other side of the palace. We must make sure that the elite group could sneak into the King's Palace"

"I sure hope that the plan would work. I do believe that some of the other Dai Li must be with the King. There is no way that the King would be completely alone" Zuko added.

"Agree, prince Zuko" General Li said. He then turned to face the Fire Lord, and bowed, "With your permission, Fire Lord Ozai. I will choose a small troop for distraction. I will choose some mere firebenders, as it would be such a 'waste' to send off some talented benders"

"I giv-"

Ozai was cut off as Zuko suddenly shouted, "What?!" Zuko glared at General Li, "Wait a minute, did you say 'waste'? What did you mean by that?"

General Li sighed, "With all due respect, my prince. We can't obviously send talented firebenders as baits right?"

Zuko's eyes widened in shock and disbelieve, "Yo-you're crazy!"

Everyone in the room flinched, as they were taken aback by what Zuko had spoken. Iroh's eyes widened in shock and fear, as he realized what his nephew had done. Iroh had whispered to himself 'no' twice.

"As bait? You're sending your own people as baits?! They're going into a suicide mission and they won't know it! They have families!" Zuko clenched his fists.

General Li furrowed his eyebrows in anger and frustration, "They exist to serve us, and they know it. You should've learned more about our war, 'prince'. This is the real world, this is the real war!"

Iroh tried his best to signal Zuko. Zuko took notice of this and saw that his uncle looked at him with fear, and shook his head. Iroh had formed the word 'no' and 'please'. Zuko understood and decided to give up this time.

Zuko clenched his fists under the table, and glared at General Li from behind his eyebrows, "You are right, General Li. I misunderstood"

General Li just nodded and looked away.

General Hong cleared his throat, "Eherm, also… your highness. We really do need a 'healer' for this particular plan. And since Kana is um…"

Ozai grinned maliciously, "Ah yess, you are right. My daughter… Katara"

Zuko's eyes widened and quickly looked up at his father.

"Ah yes! princess Katara. She's a great healer indeed, and also very talented. Guang had told me about her bending abilities, a natural talent" General Li added. He then turned again to look up at Ozai, "With all due respect, your highness. May I ask, that it's possible for princess Katara to join this war?"

"NO!" Zuko suddenly stood up and pointed at General Li. "You might be crazy before, but now I'm sure that you're insane! You are in no right to ask for this!"

"Zuko, silence!" Ozai growled lowly.

Ignoring his father, Zuko kept starring at General Li with anger, "I will NOT let you take and use m-my, sister. She's only 16 years old now, and even then… I will NOT let her go into a war!"

"This meeting is dismissed!" Ozai growled, as the flames around him grew higher and hotter. Everyone expect Zuko, immediately stood up and walked away. Knowing not to further anger the Fire Lord.

Zuko turned around to look up at his father on the throne, "H-how could you let him?! You can't-"

"Silence, Zuko! That, is enough!"

* * *

 _Hmm, never thought that war meetings would take so long. I wonder what Zuko's been talking about. I wonder if he's bored._ Katara chuckled as she thought to herself. She's been starring at the evening sky at her balcony. _The moon is so bright and full now… Are you there, Tui and La?_

 _Creek… BAM!_

Katara whipped her head back, as she heard a loud bang on her door. "Wha-Zuko?" her eyes widened in confusion. "What are you doing here? Wait, is the meeting ov-"

"I can't believe it! This is fucking BULLSHIT!" Zuko yelled as he stomped his way towards Katara, fists clenched on his sides.

"Whoah, whoah… calm down, Zuko. Tell me wha-"

"They're fucking stupid! You know? Stupid and ignorant!" Zuko growled in anger and shot a stream of fire into the night sky. Katara yelped in surprised, and stepped back to keep a safe distance. She knew how Zuko's like when he's really angry, and it's best to keep a few distances away from him. But she knew that she had always been the only one that could calm him down.

Katara sighed, "Zuko… just, tell me what happened, okay? Calm down, please" Zuko just clenched his jaw and stared into the city far below him. "Okay, you know what? Let's go inside. I'll make you some chamomile tea. Or maybe, Quan Yin tea? You're favorite?" Katara smiled warmly, while she slowly walked closer towards Zuko.

Zuko sighed then slowly turned to look at Katara. "Y-yes… sure, thanks Katara" he smiled. Katara grabbed Zuko's arm and pulled him inside.

"Come, let's sit by the fire…"

Zuko plopped down onto one of the love sofa in front of the fireplace. He stared into the fire mindlessly, "I just… Gah, you won't believe it. They were planning to attack the earth kingdom, especially the King of course. General Li suggested sending some… 'mere' firebenders as baits"

Katara turned back to look at Zuko with confusion, "Wait, don't tell me…"

"Yeah, it's kind of a suicide mission. Which, the soldiers won't even know about" Zuko sighed and untied his topknot. He held his crown in his hand and stared at it. The crown reflected the light from the fireplace, and created a shimmering glow of gold. "But what's worst about it… was that, they planned another move. Which… I could never, ever… allow to"

"Here is your tea" Katara offered Zuko a teacup, and took a seat next to Zuko. "Tell me about it"

"Thanks, tara. And well, they-no, specifically General Li… and of course, dad. Agreed to take y-" Zuko looked at Katara and stared into her deep blue eyes. He decided that it's best not to tell her about it. "Nevermind, it's not that important"

Katara nodded and looked away, "Okay... but, you know you cou-"

 _Knock-Knock-Knock!_

"Oh, someone's at the door" Katara stood up and walked towards the door.

Zuko huffed in annoyance, "Ugh, fucking shit…"

As Katara got to the door, she turned the handle and opened it, "Oh my, uncle?!" Katara gasped in surprise as she saw Iroh standing in front of her room. Iroh looked so tired and… sad somehow.

"Wait, is it uncle Iroh?" Zuko shouted from inside Katara's room.

Katara answered Zuko, then gestured for Iroh to come in. Iroh sighed and walked towards where Zuko was sitting. "Thought I'd find you here, nephew"

Zuko raised an eyebrow, "What the hell does that mean?"

Iroh sighed heavily and looked at Katara, then Zuko. "Zuko… you must prepare yourself for another hour"

Zuko, realizing the seriousness in Iroh's tone, slowly stood up and furrowed his eyebrows. "Wh-why?"

Iroh stared straight into Zuko, and simply said, "Agni Kai"

* * *

Katara kept biting her lower lip, clenched her fists, and ruffled her sleeves. She was so nervous and scared for Zuko. She can't even believe that this was happening. She kept wondering what Zuko had said that could possibly offend the general that much, that they both must duel in an agni kai.

Katara was now standing in a spacious hall, with many pillars and torches around. There was a long marble stage in the middle of the room. She thought that it must be where Zuko and General Li would duel. More people were still coming into the hall room. They were all generals, ministers, commanders, top elite soldiers, and even the fire sages.

Katara stood close to Iroh the whole time. Iroh was also nervous, but he calmed Katara down several times. Katara kept pulling her sleeve's hems, until there were strings coming out of it. Katara huffed, "I can't believe this is happening, oh god…" she whispered to herself. Katara looked up at Iroh, "Is this really necessary, uncle?"

Iroh closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He opened his eyes slowly, then turned to look at Katara with such sadness in his eyes, "I'm afraid yes, Katara. This tradition is in our culture, and it's been going on for many generations. You can't back down an agni kai, especially for nobles. It would be such a disgrace, shame, and humiliation"

Katara huffed and stomped her feet, "Well, that's a stupid tradition then" she crossed her arms to her chest, "I wonder what in the world had Zuko done or said. Why won't you tell me, uncle?"

Iroh slowly put his left arm around Katara's shoulder, "It's best to cheer and hope for Zuko right now, okay? In time, you'll know what happened and why, but… it's not really that necessary or important. Just… have faith in him, okay?"

Katara nodded and smiled sadly, "Okay, uncle"

Iroh chuckled a little, "Hehe, that's my beautiful niece…"

"Oh, stop it uncle" Katara waved her right hand. She then remembered moments ago, when she had saw Zuko again while he's preparing for the duel.

" _H-hey, Zuko?" Katara poked her head into Zuko's room._

 _Zuko turned his head around to look at Katara, "Ohey, Katara! Just come in" he said while he put gold bands around his upper arm._

 _Katara walked slowly towards Zuko, "Wow, this seems really serious. You even have to change to some, special-agni-kai-uniform"_

 _Zuko laughed lowly, "Yeah, it's in the tradition. Just the formality though…"_

 _Katara sighed, then stood in front of Zuko, "Sure you can take him?"_

 _Zuko raised an eyebrow then rolled his eyes, "Oh please, Katara. You know I'm better than him. I know how General Li fights. He's slower than me, sometimes a bit clumsy, and he has weakness in his left eye"_

" _Damn it, Zuko. What in the world did you say towards General Li? I know that you didn't agree with the plan, but c'mon… what really happened there? Please tell me" Katara looked up at Zuko with pleading eyes._

 _Zuko stared back deeply, "I-well…" he then sighed and looked away, "Never mind about that. Seriously, it's not that important. Even if I tell you, you might not understand it anyway"_

 _Katara thought that it's best not to push the subject for now. She just nodded and put her hands on Zuko's shoulders, "B-but, just, be careful… okay? Please? I don't want you to get hurt"_

 _Zuko looked down at her and smirked, "Relax, I'll be fine"_

"Well, well, well… look what our idiotic brother got himself into" Azula snickered.

"Azula!" Katara turned her head to the left, to see Azula walked closer towards her. Azula stood next to Katara, and turned around to face the stage.

"Wh-where have you been the whole day? I haven't seen you" Katara asked in hush tones. The whole room was now crowded, and somehow Katara didn't want anyone near to hear her talk.

Azula looked at Katara from her right eye's corner, "Well, now you do, sister" she sighed and smirked a little, "I was 'busy' with important stuffs. Helping dad this and that, and what not"

Katara breathed in deeply and sighed, "I just wish Zuko would win this duel"

"Well, it was his fault in the first place to speak against the 'plan' anyway. He knew not to do that" Azula said, as she waved her right hand.

"Y-yeah, I know that but… he told me that he just disagreed with the general. And besides, Zuko is the 'prince'. Why was he the one that offended the general?"

Azula shook her head, "Oh, my naïve little sister. You just don't get it, do you? All these years living in the fire nation, and you still don't understand just how our people are. Especially, how Zuko is…"

Katara bent her head back, and furrowed her eyebrows, "Huh? What does tha-" Katara was cut off as one of the fire sage suddenly stood on the stage, and announced the agni kai will be starting in a minute.

Katara looked up and saw Zuko stepped up onto the stage, with a red fire nation blanket covering his shoulders. Other than that, he wore nothing but a simple red pants and gold bands around his upper arm. Katara felt her heartbeat quicken, and her stomach felt a bit sick. She knew that the agni kai is not just any ordinary duel. It's about 'burning' your opponent to win the duel. Sometimes you may kill your opponent, sometimes you don't. But on this special occasion, Katara knew they wouldn't be killing each other because they were both very important people.

"I'm ready! Now come and face me!" Zuko shouted, as he took his stance and let the blanket fell off his shoulder. Zuko squinted his eyes to see a tall and lean figure walking slowly towards him.

"Fa-father…?" Zuko's eyes widened in shock and disbelieve, as he saw his opponent was none other than his own father, Fire Lord Ozai.

"You have disagreed and embarrassed yourself. I've never felt such shame, you have disrespected your father!" Ozai spoke lowly.

Zuko gasped and slowly kneeled down to bow to his father, "P-please, father. I had meant you no disrespect. I am nothing but your humble son"

Ozai looked down at Zuko with anger and disgust, "Do not embarrass yourself and your FATHER anymore, Zuko. Stand up and fight!"

Zuko bent his head up to look at his father with pleading eyes, "Please father… please, I-I don't want to fight you" he shivered, as a tear fell down from his left cheek.

"You're such a disgrace!" Ozai shouted, while he clenched his fists.

"Father, please… I-"

"You will learn respect! And suffering will be your teacher!" Ozai shouted as he shot a jet stream of fire, and burned his own son in front of many people.

Katara couldn't look at it. She just couldn't. All she could do was close her eyes, and tried to block her ears from that agonizing scream.

Tears flooded her eyes, she couldn't help it. She just couldn't. How is it possible for a father to be so cruel and sadistic towards his own son? But then, what could she expect? What could she expect from the fire nation? War, greed, and hatred had always run through their blood.

Yet, the other horrifying thing wasn't just that Ozai had burned his son. But rather… the fact that the whole crowd cheered. At least, expect for General Iroh, who had been closing his eyes as well.

How could these people be so cruel? So evil? Even Azula cheered. She couldn't believe this. How does one cheered when her own brother got burned? Katara knew that Azula and Zuko never had a smooth relationship, but this had just crossed the line.

Katara could somehow feel Azula's presence coming closer to her, even though she was still closing her eyes with her hands. Then, Katara heard Azula spoke calmly, "Aww, too weak to open your eyes and look at the truth, Katara? Ahahahah what a pity. You should know that Zuko had always been weak. Even when he's strong, he's weak"

Katara slowly opened her eyes, and looked at Azula with tearful eyes. Azula smirked then continued, "Even I would ask you, why do you still befriend with 'our' pathetic brother here. I can't believe I'm saying this but for a waterbender, you have the strength of a firebender. You should just leave him to rot!"

Azula turned on her heels and walked away. Katara had noticed that Iroh wasn't beside her anymore. Katara turned around to face the stage and looked up, as she heard a thud on the stage. Her eyes immediately went wide. The view in front of her just made her sick to the stomach. She could also smell the stench of burning flesh in the air. She wanted to puke, wanted to scream, but she couldn't.

Ozai was still standing on top of an unconscious Zuko. He glared at the crowd around him, then slowly turned his head towards Katara. Ozai stared right through Katara maliciously, and Katara flinched in fear. Under his breath, Ozai said lowly, "A scar, for a life". Even though the stage were few meters away from Katara, she heard what Ozai had said, and somehow she knew that it was meant for her. Ozai turned around and slowly walked to leave the hall room.

The crowd began to decrease slowly. Katara was still frozen to her feet, she wanted to do something but she didn't know what. And finally, a tiny voice from her mouth slipped, "Zuko…?"

* * *

Author's note : The special iconic chapter finally happened! Please send some reviews/opinions. The more reviews, the faster I'll update! :p


	11. Chapter 11 - After The Fall

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : recommended song to listen, Chelsea Wolfe – After The Fall.

CHAPTER 11 – After The Fall

 _Dear diary,_

 _I can't believe this is happening… I don't want to believe it AT ALL! Oh mom, how I wished you were here. I feel so lost… So hurt… Especially, for Zuko. I feel so… hopeless._

"Oh, fuck…" Katara quickly wiped her tears before it fell down onto her diary page. Katara's vision blurred as tears kept flooding from her eyes. She shook her head and with a trembling hand, she continued to write her diary.

 _It seems like it was just months ago when I first arrived here, in the fire nation. I never thought I'd grow up here. Never thought I'd call it home. When I first got here, I thought that my life would be miserable but then I met Kana, Zuko, and you mom. Oh and also, uncle Iroh. You all made me feel like I'm at home, like I actually do have a family. But now… after what had happened yesterday… I don't know how and what to feel anymore._

"Okay, okay…" Katara took a deep breath and exhaled. She rubbed her temples in frustration, "I think it's time for me to check on Zuko" she said to herself. "I haven't seen him since yesterday"

Katara slowly closed her diary and placed her quill besides it. She walked towards a mirror nearby to quickly check on herself. She wiped her tears away with a tissue and lightly dabbed some powder to her face. When she went out into the hallways, it seemed more eerie and gloomy than ever. She felt as if the darkness was overshadowing her. The fire scones along the hallways seemed so tiny and dim. It flickered and swayed, but it didn't feel alive like it used to.

Katara slowed her pace when she got closer and closer to Zuko's room. Until she finally stood in front of his door, she stared at the door handle for a while. _Should I… go in? Could I?_ She questioned herself. Katara quickly shook her head, "Okay, I have to go in… I need to heal him" she whispered.

Katara reached out her shaking hand towards the door handle, but the door suddenly flew open. Katara flinched and stepped back in surprised. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, Princess Katara!" a man in his mid 60' appeared. Katara noticed this man was one of the fire sages, as he wore a long sharp red hat. But he wasn't wearing his fire sage uniform. The man bowed and said, "I-I'm sorry to surprised you, I was just taking care of… Zuko"

Katara furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at this man's address towards Zuko. All of the people in the palace knew they must speak in formalities, and it was very unusual for this man to not include 'prince' to call on Zuko. "It-it's okay. You are… Fire Sage Wang, right? Um-why aren't you wearing your uniform?"

Wang widened his eyes in surprise, "Ah, my apology!" he bowed a little, "Yes, I am Fire Sage Wang. And I'm currently not wearing my uniform because I was taking 'care' of-"

"Wang, who is it?!" another low parched voice shouted from inside Zuko's room. Katara raised an eyebrow in confusion and suspicion. Another man with a red fire sage hat came into view while holding a bowl of water. "Wang, it's tim-"

The man was shock to see Katara standing outside. He quickly went outside, shut the door behind him, and bowed to Katara. "My apology, Princess Katara. I didn't you were here"

"Ye-yes, it's fine Fire Sage Feng" Katara especially knew this particular fire sage, as he's the head of the sages. Katara nodded her head a bit, and stepped aside to go into Zuko's room.

"Ah-um" Feng suddenly stood in front of Katara. He bowed his head a little and said, "I'm very sorry, but, you're not allowed to see Zuko… for now"

"Excuse me?"

"Fire Lord Ozai's order" Feng answered sternly, as he looked straight at Katara.

Katara's jaw fell opened, she can't believe this. "I-I'm not allowed to see my own, brother? Why is that?!" she clenched her fists on her side.

Wang took a step closer to Katara, "It seems that Fire Lord Ozai knew you'd heal him, and he's not allowing it" he cleared his throat then continued, "He even told us not to… help him that much"

Katara's eyes widened in confusion and fear, "Wh-what? Why? What's going on, please tell me!" she huffed in frustration, "I-I don't understand!"

Feng sighed and looked away, annoyed by Katara's stubbornness. He slowly turned back to look at Katara and spoke lowly, "Zuko's 'scar' will forever be a mark of his shame and humiliation. It is there to remind him. Therefor, his wounds are not allowed to be healed" Feng bowed his head towards Katara, "Excuse us" he then nodded towards Wang.

Feng and Wang turned on their heels and walked away. Katara felt her mouth dry, and her vision blurred. She felt her own heartbeat quicken in pure anger, sadness, and frustration. She clenched her jaw and shut her eyes hard, "What… the fuck?" she took a deep breath, "This… is… bullshit" she spoke lowly to herself.

As Katara was about to go inside Zuko's room again, she saw a figure coming from the corner of her eye. The figure was walking closer, and Katara quickly straighten up herself and remained calm. She tried hard to look expressionless, as she turned on her heels and walked towards the figure. She then saw clearly that it was a guard that was just patrolling around.

 _Ugh, shit. Maybe I'll try seeing Zuko later tonight._ Katara thought to herself. _It's weird that they didn't order anyone to guard right in front of his room though. They didn't even lock his room. But, they told me that I'm not allowed to go see him, which means… everyone shouldn't be allowed too. Huh, this is really weird._

"Where should I go now…?" Katara whispered to herself as she walked along the dim-light hallways mindlessly. _I still can't believe this is happening._ _I can't believe Ozai did this to his own son. He burned his own son! He even forbade anyone to heal him, or so as much to help him. This is barbaric! This is insane!_ Katara shook her head and kept on walking. She decided that she'd go to the royal garden.

* * *

" _Aahahaha!" Katara giggled, while running around Zuko. "You're tagged! Haha, I got you!" she put out her tongue, and pulled down her lower eyelid. "I win again!"_

" _That's not faaaiirr! You cheated, Katara!" Zuko huffed annoyingly and stomped on the ground. He crossed his arms around his chest, "This game is stupid!"_

" _Oh, please Zu-zu" Azula snickered while she flicked her front bangs, "Just admit it that you lose. Don't be embarrassing like that"_

 _Zuko pouted, "C'mon tara, let's play something else" he slowly walked towards Katara. Katara was still panting from running too much, she bent her body lower and put her hands on her knees for support. "Haha, tired?" Zuko smirked._

" _Yeah, I am" Katara panted, "Cause I kept winning" she grinned towards Zuko._

" _Tch, not funny really…"_

"Ngh…" Zuko's finger twitched, as he was lost in between reality and the dream world. Zuko kept falling in and out of consciousness of his own dark matter. For a few seconds, he awoke from his deep deathless slumber, and felt his whole body rigid.

Zuko couldn't even move a single muscle. He felt so dizzy, and his mouth felt parched. Sometimes he felt an agonizing pain around his left face and his left shoulder. He had wondered what happened to him, but before he could ever truly wake up… he fell into the darkness again.

* * *

Katara had worn a long black velvet cape, with a hood covering her head. She moved like a soundless wind, her feet tiptoeing, in the cold shadows of the palace. She quickly slipped into the dark corners whenever she saw someone was in sight. She kept sneaking while crouching low, to go towards Zuko's room. When she got closer, she turned her head to the left and right, even up above her head, to made sure that no one was there.

 _Huh, lucky me. No one is guarding or patrolling around._ Katara thought to herself. As she was sure that everything was clear, she quickly slipped into Zuko's room. When she got inside, she had almost puked right on the spot. The stinging stench of balms mixed with charred human flesh, made her sick to the stomach.

Katara closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She slowly opened them again, straighten up herself, and walked towards Zuko's bed. She could feel her heartbeat quicken than ever, as she got closer, and closer. Katara's hands trembled and her body shivered in fear and anxiety. She had braised herself to prepare for the worst.

"Oh… Zuko…" Katara clamped her mouth shut as she gasped at the sight before her. She had thanked to Agni that all of Zuko's wounds were covered in layers of linen bandages. But still, she couldn't help the tears that flooded from her eyes. Judging from the bandages that covered from Zuko's left face to his left ribs, and all the way to his left arm, Katara knew that Zuko got burned badly.

"Z-Zuko… my… oh m-my god, I-I'm so sorry…" Katara's voice quivered. She slowly sat on the bed's edge besides Zuko, and bent her body forward to look at him closer. "What have father done to you… what have 'you' done? I wish I could've helped you sooner"

Katara suddenly felt dizzy from the smell of rotting flesh. "Oh god, it-it smells a bit… shit!" Katara clamped her mouth and nose shut, "I can't believe it. Okay, okay" Katara looked to the left, then to the right. "I-I have to heal him. I have to clean up his wounds"

"I need a water bowl… Hmm-ah! There it is!" Katara got up, and took a water bowl from a nearby table. She filled it with enough water, and put it on a table besides the bed. Katara took a deep breath and exhaled, "Okay Zuko. I have to open the bandages, okay?" Even though she knew Zuko's consciousness was far from reality, she thought that she'd still talk to him. In a way, it calmed her a little bit.

Katara slowly uncovered the linen bandages layer by layer, from around his arm. Every five to ten seconds, she would looked up to see if there was any reaction from Zuko. She had hoped that Zuko would open his eyes, and smirks at her, or made some cocky remarks about anything. But in another way, she had hoped not, for she was afraid that she's hurting him.

"Zuko…" Katara felt her jaw clenched and her eyes watered, as she saw the burn wounds around Zuko's left arm and shoulder. "This needs to be cleaned up like… hours ago! My god… Okay, phew. One at a time" Katara summoned some water from the bowl, and covered her hands with ethereal glowing blue gloves. She sighed deeply and gently touch Zuko's arm. She closed her eyes to concentrate on her healing. When she felt like it was at least enough, she slowly moved up to the shoulder.

Katara slowly opened her eyes and gasped in shock. She started to shake her head, "What on earth… N-no way. NO WAY!" Katara was in shock to see that the wounds wouldn't heal properly. "I-I swear to god, I've healed so many people for years! And this never happened before! I know it when it's supposed to be done. I felt it! I-I swear… but why… why isn't it working?" Katara stared at her own hands with her blurry vision. Disappointed and ashamed of herself.

Katara furrowed her eyebrows in anger and frustration, "NO! I have to do this. I HAVE to heal him!" Katara focused on her healing again for another fifteen minutes, until she felt like she was spacing out. "Okay, I h-have to take a minute…" she panted in exhaustion and she felt her head heavy with terrible aches. She decided to heal herself for a minute, then straighten up herself to continue healing Zuko again.

"Ah, see…" Katara smiled a little. "See Zuko, now your arm and shoulder are a bit better. Phew, it seems that your burn is really bad…" She slowly frowned and closed her eyes.

"Kay, time to open this one…" Katara slowly opened the layers of bandages around Zuko's head. She could feel her heartbeat quicken in nervousness. She had tried so hard to control her breathing, and her hands trembled with every layer of linen uncovered. She saw spots of blood starting to appear on the thin layer of linen.

When she finally uncovered Zuko's face, Katara gasped in shock. Blood was oozing from his left face, as thin layers of skin tissues were torn away, and some pus was forming around his left cheekbone. "A-Agni" Katara clamped her mouth shut and looked away. She couldn't help it anymore. She broke into heavy sobs. "W-why did this happen? Why? WHY?! What on EARTH did you DO?! Zuko… y-you… YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" Katara shouted and buried her head into her trembling hands. Her body shivered as she cried.

"C-c'mon, Katara. You have to be strong for him" Katara wiped her tears and quickly straighten up herself. "I HAVE to help him" Katara sighed deeply and regained her confidence. She covered her hands with a glove of water again, and gently healed Zuko's wounds around his left face.

"This one is so… difficult, fuck. A lot of your skin tissues got destroyed. This particular wound is deep" Katara furrowed her eyebrows in concentration. She closed her eyes and whispered to herself, "This one is so bad…"

"Why isn't it-" Katara whipped her head around to stare at the door, as she suddenly heard footsteps coming closer. "N-no…" her eye's widened in shock. She quickly got up and ran as fast as she could.

"Fuck, where am I suppose to hide!" Katara saw Zuko's work desk and decided to run towards behind it, and hid underneath the desk. Katara tried to control her breathing, as she heard the door slowly creaked opened.

"A-are you sure, you want to check on… Zuko. Princess Azula?" from the voice, Katara took notice that it was Fire Sage Wang. "He's still not in a-um, good… condition"

Without looking at all, Katara could know that Azula must've rolled her eyes. Azula huffed and growled, "Oh please. I just want to see how much of a pathetic idiot my 'brother' has become"

Katara clamped her mouth shut as she gasped at Azula's remark. How could anyone say such things towards her own brother? The one that just got burn, by his own father? Katara couldn't fathom anymore what's going on, or even what's wrong with this whole nation.

"W-wait, did someone… healed him?" Wang asked in confusion when he saw some of Zuko's wounds were healed a little.

"Yes of course, dum-dum" Azula said in her usual boring tone. "Just look at the bandages. It's all uncovered. Clearly someone must have opened them to heal him" Azula slowly smirked to herself, "and, not finished yet…" she turned to stare at Zuko's work desk.

"Well, I… I do not want to immediately jump into conclusion here, Princess Azula. But it se-" Feng was cut off as Azula suddenly turned on her heels and walked away.

Azula waved her hands, "Yes, I know. It's my sister. Just let her" she said without looking back towards Feng.

"B-but, princess-" Feng eye's widened in realization, and grinned to himself, "Ahh yes… I see…" When Azula was out of the room, Feng and Wang immediately began to cover Zuko again with new clean linen bandages. "That's about it. Ugh, what a trouble he is" Feng huffed annoyingly. "C'mon Wang, let's get the hell out of here. Why on earth do we have to do this job"

As Katara heard the door went shut, she released a breath that she had not realized she was holding. She slowly peaked from under the table to make sure that everything was clear, and got up to walk towards Zuko. "Phew, that was so close".

Katara stared at Zuko with sadness, "I'm so sorry Zuko. This is all I could do for now. I'll see you again tomorrow night, okay?" she said, as she gently caressed Zuko's right cheek. "Don't worry, I'll be back for you" Katara gently laid a kiss on Zuko's forehead.

* * *

For the next three nights, Katara was so frustrated that she couldn't see Zuko. When she was sneaking towards his room, she saw more guards patrolling around the area. It was so hard to find a chance to slip in, and with a heavy heart, Katara decided to turn back and hoped that the sages healed Zuko for the very least.

Katara had never felt so alone in all her life. She had felt lost and alone when Kana left, and when Ursa had disappeared, but never, she ever felt such pain like this one. Katara had always been the one with hope, but she can't deny the fact that deep down she was scared for Zuko. She was scared for herself too. For her own life. She had no idea what would happen next, as she felt a terrible feeling that this will affect her future as well.

Katara tried to see uncle Iroh, but sadly, she didn't even know where he was. Katara had asked several people, but all of them told her that Iroh was 'busy'. Katara even thought about asking Mai and Ty Lee to come, but she was too depressed to even hangout with her own friends. At the very least, Katara had been exchanging letters with her friends. They had shared the same sympathy and told her to be strong for Zuko.

Another day had passed, and Katara became too restless. She wondered if Zuko ever woke up already or not. She wondered if the sages did a good job on cleaning and healing him, but she had doubted it. Later that night, Katara decided to try seeing Zuko again. She had prayed so hard to Agni, and even to Tui and La, that she would get lucky this time.

* * *

" _So… you give these Fire Lilies to someone you like, right mom?"_

" _Yes, my dear Zuko. You give this to someone you love the most. Especially, when you're asking for her hand" Ursa winked at Zuko, with a big smile on her face._

 _Zuko furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Huh, w-what does that mean?"_

 _Ursa laughed, "Oh, silly little one. You're so adorable when you do that" she pinched Zuko's cheek lightly._

" _Aouch! Stop it mom, it's embarrassing!" Zuko tried to pry his mom's hands away._

" _And well… you'll understand it when you grow up"_

 _Zuko pouted, then stared at the Fire Lily bushes next to him, "They are really pretty. Oh! Maybe she'll like it!" Zuko suddenly stood up and plucked a single Fire Lily. Zuko turned on his heels and walked away towards the pond._

 _Ursa raised an eyebrow, "Where are you going?"_

" _I want to give it to her!" Zuko pointed to a girl who's younger than him, standing across the pond from him. The girl was kneeling next to the pond, feeding the turtle ducks with some breadcrumbs._

 _Ursa's eyes widened in surprised, then her face slowly melt into a genuine warm smile. "Oh, Zuko…"_

" _Hey!" Zuko waved to the girl. "I brought you a Fire Lily! Look! Isn't it pretty?"_

" _Oh, i-it's so pretty! Thanks!" the girl gleefully accepted the flower and sniffed it. "Ooh, it smells so niice! Thanks a lot Zuko" she smiled widely with sparkles in her deep blue eyes._

"Ngh… Ka-Kata… ra… "

* * *

 _Oh, thank Agni! Thank Tui and La!_ Katara internally praised, as she saw no one was patrolling around Zuko's hallway. _Luck is on my side after all._ She thought to herself as she quickly slipped into Zuko's room. She decided that it's best to lock the door from the inside, just to be safe. She didn't want anyone to caught her healing Zuko, as she was afraid for Zuko's safety, not for her own. She formed a tiny thin ice shard and turned it into a lock pick.

"Hah, now it's lock" Katara opened her hood and walked towards Zuko's bed, "Hm, seems like he's still asleep-"

"Ngh… Ka-Kata… ra… " Zuko mumbled.

Katara's eyes widened in shock, "Z-Zuko?" she quickly ran towards his bed and bent her body forward to take a better look. "Huh? His breathing is shallow" Katara sighed heavily and plopped onto the bed besides him, "Guess he was just mumbling… I wonder what he's dreaming about" she chuckled lowly.

Katara stood up and took a water bowl from a nearby table. "Okay, Zuko. Time to heal you up again. Sorry to keep you waiting" she calmly said, even though she knew that Zuko couldn't even hear her. Katara slowly uncovered all the bandages again like last time, and gently touched the burn around Zuko's arm and shoulder.

"It's getting better now but, I still don't understand the burn around your left face. It's so hard to heal that one" she said, when she looked up on Zuko's left face. "The wounds around your arm and shoulder are getting better. I hope it won't turn into any scars. This takes time…"

"There. Now, your face" Katara gently cupped Zuko's left cheek. She sighed heavily as she started to feel dizzy again, "Phew, damn thi-"

"M-mom…" Zuko furrowed his eyebrows, while he mumbled again in his deep slumber. "D-don't… don't…. Ngnh, leave… me…"

"Oh, Zuko…" Katara felt her mouth dry, and swallowed. She slowly cupped Zuko's right cheek with her left palm. Katara felt so sad and hurt for Zuko, she had wished she could be more of a help than ever.

"Kata…ra…"

"Zuko?" Katara furrowed her eyebrows, as she bent her head closer to Zuko. She tried to listen to his breathing, to make sure that he was still sleeping. "Wait, his breathing is a bit ragged. Maybe he's-" Katara's suddenly snapped her head back in shock, when she suddenly felt a hand grabbing her left wrist.

Katara saw that Zuko had grabbed her wrist that was still cupped around his cheek. Katara stared at Zuko, but his eyes were still shut closed. Zuko's face suddenly contorted into a face with confusion, then fear. He shook his head to the left, then to the right. Katara felt Zuko's hand grabbed her tighter, until she felt Zuko's nails were digging into her wrist.

"Katara…"

"Zuko?"

"Tara… d-don't leave… m-me alone…"

"I won't leave you Zuko, I'm here. I won't ever leave you alone" Katara gently said.

Katara's eyes widened in surprise, as Zuko very slowly opened his eyes. "Oh, my god. Zuko? Zuko?"

Zuko shut his eyes closed and furrowed his eyebrows. "Ngh…" Zuko opened his heavy lidded eyes, and slowly turned to look straight at Katara's eyes. "Y-your… your eyes are so… blue…"

Katara bent her head back, "W-what?"

"So bluue… so biig…"

Katara shut her eyes and pinched her nose bridge, "Agni, he must have a fever" Katara opened her eyes and gently put her hand on Zuko's forehead. "Ugh, I knew it. I need to cool him down" As Katara got up to refill the water bowl, she felt a tug on her left wrist. She turned around and realized that Zuko had never let go of her. "Z-Zuko, let go…"

"Taraa" Zuko wailed like a child, "Don't leave mee…" Zuko slowly closed his eyes again, and his head lolled to the side. Showing the side of his face which got burned. His right hand that was grabbing Katara's wrist had loosened its grip, and fell back onto the bed.

Katara sighed deeply and shook her head, "This kid…" Katara gasped in surprise as she felt a sudden gush of wind. Her hair blew all around her face, and she had almost tripped on her feet. The wind felt chilling to her skin. She looked to her left, and saw that a window near the balcony was knocked opened. "Oh, damn it's so cold" Katara walked towards the window while still holding the water bowl, and closed it with a force.

Katara heard a gentle rustling of papers. She turned around to look where it came from, and she saw that it was an open book on Zuko's work desk. Curiosity had always been alive inside her, and she couldn't help it but decided to peek a little. She gently put the bowl aside and picked up the book.

"Oh, my my! Why, if it isn't Zuko's diary!" Katara cleared her throat and turned around to make sure that Zuko was still asleep. "Well, it wouldn't hurt if I just peek a little, right?" She flipped the pages around to the start, "Wow this diary book is pretty thick. But it seems that he doesn't write that much. Hmm… let's see"

 _Dearyy diary,_

 _Today was a blast! I had so much fun and excitement, but best of all, I was so happy for Katara! She finally had her first birthday party in the fire nation! I'm also happy to accept her in the family, yay! I'm so glad that Katara liked my gift. She told me she loved it! I hope that she really meant it. I spent a lot of hours on that sketch of hers._

Katara giggled to herself, "Oh, silly Zuko… how could I ever forget that day" she flipped around the pages again, and read…

 _Dear diary,_

 _Why is it always so hard for me to control my bending? I don't know what's wrong! I did it right! This is so frustrating! Azula and Katara could master their bending flawlessly. It seems that as if things just always come to them so easily. I just want father to be proud of me…. I just want him to truly see me as his proud son. And that I have power too. But what am I? I'm not that great… I've never been great. Not like my sisters. Especially, not like Katara._

Katara furrowed her eyebrows in sadness and confusion, "I-I… I don't understand. How could he ever felt this way? Doesn't he knows how much of an amazing bender he is?" Katara sighed deeply.

"He never told me how he truly feel… Maybe, I shouldn't read anymore of his diary. It's… it's private anyway". Katara bit her lower lip and stared at the diary, "Okay maybe, just a liiitle bit more" she said as she flipped around the pages again. "Oh, this one seems recent!"

 _Dear diary,_

 _How should I tell her? Could I? Should I? I don't know what to do… I can't keep on hiding it like this. I can't keep hiding my feelings like this. What if it's true? What if what Ty Lee told me 'might' be true? That I better tell her before it's 'too late'? I wonder what might happen if it's too late though, I have no idea. I'm scared. Scared of how things might turn out. Scared what might happen if I do tell her. The thing is… I don't even know if she feels the same way about me._

Katara immediately closed Zuko's diary, "Okay, that's enough. I shouldn't peek any further". She felt a pang of jealousy somehow, and curiosity as well. "Huh, I wonder who he's talking about. I've been living with him for around 7 years, and I know that he never had any other friends than, well… Mai and Ty Lee. It's not like we ever hangout outside the palace. Must be someone really close to him then, but… who?"

Katara huffed and put the diary down, "Ah whatever, it's none of my business anyway…"

* * *

It seemed that luck was still on Katara's side. For the next two nights, she had able to slip into Zuko's room again and healed him. She had tried all her might, but she still couldn't completely heal the burn around Zuko's left face. She felt so angry to herself, she didn't understand why she couldn't heal him properly. Katara felt as if there's another power or existence that purposely forbid Katara to heal him.

Katara had thanked the gods that at least Zuko was getting better. He didn't have any bad fevers anymore, and the wounds around his left arm were completely healed. But more than three times, Zuko had mumbled random weird things that Katara couldn't even understand. Zuko had even waked up two times, but he was still half asleep. With his heavy lidded eyes, Zuko was still lost in the vague of illusion and reality.

For once, Zuko had almost fully awakened with a terrible drenching sweat. He was shivering badly, and his mouth quivered. When Katara gently touched him, Zuko flinched away and scrunched his nose. Katara felt that Zuko's body was so hot, that it felt as if it was burning.

When he half opened his eyes, he turned to look at Katara and tried his best to form some words. But Zuko couldn't say anything as he was in such an agonizing pain. Katara tried to listen to what Zuko was trying to say, but it was too difficult. She couldn't understand a single word. Not until Zuko finally able to muttered, "P-pain… painful… i-it.. it hu-hurts… tara"

Katara quickly covered her hands in her glowing healing water, "W-where does it hurts the most, Zuko?"

Zuko shut his eyes closed, and clenched his jaw hard. "My-my… face a-and… and chest, ngh"

"Okay, Zuko. Hold still, I'm going to heal you…" Katara gently touched his chest, and flinched back as Zuko suddenly bent his body up and screamed. He quickly shut his own mouth and gritted his teeth. "Hold still, hold still…"

 _Huh, this is so weird. I don't understand. All the wounds around his left chest are healed. I don't feel any internal bleeding anymore, and all the skin tissues are perfectly fine. But… why is he in pain around here?_ Katara furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

When Katara was finished, she slowly moved to heal Zuko's left face. Zuko had bit his tongue so hard that he felt like he could've cut it with his own teeth. He never felt such throbbing pain before. He wanted to scream so badly from the pain, but he could never swallow his own pride.

For another next two days, Katara was disappointed that she wasn't able to see Zuko. There were guards patrolling around the hallway, and Katara had also noticed that the Fire Sages were still in Zuko's room. Katara had wondered why they took longer than usual.

Another day had passed, and Katara felt relieved that she was finally able to slip into Zuko's room again. She wondered how long should she keep doing this. When she got inside, she quickly turned towards the door to lock it from the inside. After she was done with it, she uncovered her hood as always, and turned around to see Zuko.

"Z-Zuko!" Katara gasped in shock as she saw that Zuko was sitting on his bed. His back lay on the bed's wooden frame, and his head rested gently on a pillow behind his neck. Katara was surprised to see a familiar golden eye starring back at her.

"H-hey… tara" Zuko said with a weak raspy voice. He then smirked a little, with his heavy lidded eyes.

"Oh my god, ZUKO!" Katara ran towards the bed, and immediately plopped down besides Zuko. She looked straight into his eyes, "Agni, Zuko! A-are you okay? How are you feeling? Do you feel any pain?" Katara saw that it was only Zuko's left eye that was covered in linen bandages. All of the wounds on his shoulder and arm were completely healed.

Zuko chuckled lowly, "Oh tara, still the same huh? I'm fine really… thanks for asking. And thanks for taking care of me all this time". Katara's eyes widened in surprise. She blushed a little and looked away, realizing that Zuko knew that Katara had been healing him.

Katara suddenly realized that if Zuko was fully awake now, that would mean he supposed to remembered back everything that had happened. Katara looked down and sighed, "Um-Zuko… I-uuh. You see-"

Zuko slowly tried to lift himself up with elbows, but he fell back as he suddenly felt a piercing pain inside his head. Stars filled his vision. "Ugh, m-my head…"

"Hey, don't force yourself up! Wait, let me get a water bowl" Katara refilled the water bowl and put it on a table besides the bed. "Here…" Katara bent her body forward and stretched her arms towards Zuko's head. She suddenly stop, when she saw Zuko slowly reached his hand up to gently touch his left face. Zuko closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

"Z-Zuko… I'm so sorry. Zuko, I-"

"It's okay, tara" Zuko breathed out and opened his eyes. "It's okay…" he reached out his arm and gently cupped Katara's right cheek. "Thank you. For everything, Katara" he smiled a genuine warm smile.

Katara couldn't hold it any longer, as tears rolled on her cheek. "I'm so, so sorry Zuko. I wished I could have helped you sooner. I wish I-"

"Shh… it's alright" Zuko put his thumb on Katara's lips. "I'm alright, I swear" he smirked.

Katara hugged Zuko tightly, and cried onto his shoulder. Zuko embraced Katara, and gently ran his fingers through Katara's long wavy hair. "A scar for a life…" Zuko gently whispered to himself.

"Wh-what?" Katara slowly pulled away, and stared at Zuko.

"Ah-um, no. Nothing" Zuko blushed and quickly looked away. He then felt a piercing pain in his head again. He shut his eyes closed, and held his head in his hands, "Ah, ughh…"

"Zuko! Are you okay?"

"I-I'm just a bit dizzy, that's all"

Katara furrowed her eyebrows, "Just lay down and sleep. You need more energy, Zuko"

"Okay, tara". With the help of Katara, Zuko slowly lay on his bed and closed his eyes. "Katara?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you… going to go now?" Zuko asked without opening his eyes.

Katara bit her lower lip, "N-no, well. I'll stay here, if you want me too…"

"I'd love for you to stay here" Zuko gently whispered, while he smiled a little.

Katara smiled, "Then I'll stay here". She pulled a small chair nearby, and sat next to Zuko's bed.

"Thanks again… Katara" Zuko smiled and fell into his deep slumber. For the first since he had his duel, he could finally slept peacefully.

* * *

"Well, well… as expected"

Katara woke up to a rough low voice, right behind her. She scratched her eyes with her knuckles, while she straighten herself up. She slowly opened her eyes and turned around. "Fa-father?!"

"Hello there, Katara" Ozai grinned maliciously as he stared down at Katara.

Katara internally cursed when she realized she had fallen asleep until daylight. She had planned to just wait for Zuko to fall asleep, then go back to her room. But it seemed that tiredness had kicked in, and she couldn't help but fell asleep as well.

"Father, I-" Katara quickly stood up, "I was just-"

"Yes, I know exactly what you were doing" Ozai growled. "I expected you to"

Katara furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "Huh, wh-why?"

Ozai turned his head to stare at Zuko who was still sleeping, and had no idea what was going on. Ozai whispered to himself, "A scar for a life, hmph". He then turned again to look at Katara, "As expected 'about' my, son. I knew it all along"

"I-I don't understand…"

"Well, I bet you will. In time. Unless, he's too much of a coward to even 'say' it" Ozai glared deeply into Katara's eyes.

"Huh? I-ugh, never mind. What you did to him is wrong! Why?! He is your own son!" Katara had gathered up all her courage, and hoped that she could hide the tremor in her voice.

"Silence, Katara! Don't you dare speak to me that way!"

"But why did you do that to him?! It's wrong! At least you could've LET me heal him" Katara clenched her fists and stood her ground.

Ozai bent forward until his face was inches away from Katara's face, "You do know well that it was for him, to remember the shame and humiliation he did for himself! It was his fault, because he was weak!"

"Ka-Katara?" Zuko slowly opened his eyes, and turned his head to look at her. "What's… what's going on?". Zuko tried to sit up straight by using his elbows. His vision was still blurry from the headache, he felt as if the world was spinning around.

"Ugh…" When Zuko was finally able to see clearer, he slowly looked up, "Fa…ther?" His eyes widened in shock and fear.

"Do not, call me your father. You are no longer worthy of my son!" Ozai growled and turned on his heels to walk away.

"WHAT?! Zuko is your own son, how COULD you-AH!" Katara staggered back and fell to the floor, as Ozai suddenly turned around and slapped her hard on her left cheek. Katara flinched and looked at up at Ozai with tearful eyes.

"Not you too… You should RESPECT your father! You, who were born as a mere water tribe girl, and I took you in! I raised you as my own daughter!" Ozai scrunched his nose in disgust.

"H-How DARE you!" Zuko yelled. He sat up straight and tried his best to stand up, while grabbing a chair for his support. "Don't you dare HIT HER!" Zuko furrowed his eyebrows downwards to his nose, and glared at Ozai furiously.

Ozai bent his head back and laughed maliciously, "Hahaha, or what?". He looked down and glared at Zuko, "You're going to challenge me into an Agni Kai?" Ozai grinned.

Zuko's eyes widened in shock, "What-I-uh… Urghh" Zuko's vision slowly becoming blurry again, and his head spins like he was in a tornado. His head felt suddenly heavy, and his body weak.

"Guards!" Ozai shouted, "Take her to my office room"

"N-no! No! Father, please!" Katara pleaded helplessly. Two guards came in and grabbed Katara's arm tightly. They dragged her outside, while Katara struggled madly like a fish caught in a net.

"Noo! Kata… ra… Ugh" Zuko hopelessly watched Katara being dragged away, as he slowly fell on his knees. Zuko felt that familiar agonizing pain again inside his chest, and he couldn't help it but fell lower and laid flat on the floor. Before he fell back into his own darkness, he looked up to his father from his tiny slits eyes.

"You're such a weak, pathetic, excuse of a boy, Zuko. I have never felt such shame, disgrace, and embarrassment! You are no longer worthy of my son" Ozai turned on his heels and walked away. He the stopped on his track and without looking back, he spoke in a low tone, "You never were".

"M-mom…" And with that, Zuko fell into blackness.

Zuko dreamed that he was mindlessly floating around space. He saw the beautiful night sky filled with so many stars, and a bright full moon, glowing with its ethereal white light. Slowly, a large single Fire Lily appeared on the moon. Zuko furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. The sky slowly changed into daylight, and the Fire Lily moon turned into a glowing golden sun. He suddenly felt like his body was being pulled by some unseen force, to a place he never knew existed.

Zuko had never seen such beautiful place. A meadow of lush green, with some trees and many kinds of flowers here and there. Far in the distance, Zuko saw a small lake. He then felt his body being pulled towards the lake. Zuko felt his body lowered itself slowly to the ground, his bare feet slowly touching the soft grass. He looked up and saw a man, his back on Zuko, standing alone next to the lake.

Zuko wondered who it was. The man had long black hair, and wore a formal fire nation uniform. _Huh, he looks fire nation. And from the outfit he's wearing, he must be royalty. Maybe I know this guy…_ Zuko wondered to himself. Zuko slowly walked towards the man, "Hey there! Hey!"

The man spoke in such soft hush tones, "I guess it's true… what they said"

Zuko furrowed his eyebrows, "Huh-what? Hey!"

"Our life might be a dark tunnel sometimes, and you don't know for sure if there's an end to it. Or what's on the other side. But… if you keep on going…" The man said without looking at Zuko.

"Hey! Who are you?!" Zuko shouted, as he felt a sudden strong gush of wind.

The man turned around a bit, but his face was still not visible to Zuko. Zuko felt the wind blew stronger and stronger, he felt as if the wind could sweep him off his feet at any second. Zuko got irritated that he couldn't see the man's face, and the wind was becoming stronger. Zuko pushed himself harder and for a second, he saw that the man was holding a single Fire Lily, and another item. Zuko squinted his eyes and saw that for what it seems, a necklace.

* * *

Author's note :

Omg, this chapter was difficult to write. I think that it's the hardest one compare to the other chapters. I was struggling with how I should write. I thought about writing from Zuko's POV and so on, but I got confused so I dropped it. Also, a little explanation…

I know that Katara is a strong character. I know she's full of hope and positive attitude. But I think it's normal to be depressed at situations like this, and it's okay to cry. I could connect to Katara easily, and I think in reality she would've cry quite a lot and feel so tired about almost everything. She had always been the one that didn't know much about anything, and things just starting to fall apart. I think no matter how strong she is, she would get confused and scared. I noticed in the show, that Katara actually cried a lot. She didn't cry like a baby, but she did shed some tears. If anyone of you wonder why Katara would peek Zuko's diary, remember, that in the real show she sneaked into Toph's stuff haha. I think Katara is naturally a curious girl, and that she's pretty much adventurous.

As for Zuko's burn wounds. I want to make it more realistic. If someone got shot by a stream of fire, they would also get burn around the shoulder, arm, or even upper chest as well. Not just around the eyes. I do believe that for the sake of "kids" show, they didn't make it too violent or harsh. But hey, this is fanfic and it's rated M lol.

Anyway, next week right on Monday is my birthday, yay! :D I'm turning 20 and I feel weird as hell lol. Reviews and comments please 3


	12. Chapter 12 - Vivid

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : Sorry for the kind of late update guys. Been super busy so, here it is, another chapter! Also, this chapter is a lot shorter than the previous one, I've been busy with rl. I'm still bust with my personal art projects and others, hope you guys could understand that :D

CHAPTER 12 – Vivid

"Ugh… m-my, head…" Zuko blinked twice, "Wha-what?". Zuko tried to move his body but felt unable to. He tried to lift his arms and legs, but felt like something was holding him down. He shut his eyes close and shook his head. He sighed deeply, and when he opened his eyes, stars filled his vision and his ears ringed, "Argh, shit"

 _Huh, I'm still in my room_. Zuko thought as he saw the familiar ceiling and wooden frame of his four-post bed. He sighed and closed his eyes. _Guess nothing changed. My left wound still hurts though, and my chest too. I wonder what time or even day is it right now._

Zuko tried to stay calm and steady his breathing. His head still felt heavy, but then waves of memories started to come back to him. Zuko's eyes widened in fear, "Katara… No! She was taken away!" He tried to move his arms and legs again, but then he heard some rattling sounds. "Wait, what the-" He bent his head to the left, then to the right. He then looked down to his legs, and realized that he was chained to his own bed.

"The fuck?!" Zuko lowered his head back to his pillow. _I gotta get out of this, I have to find Katara! I hope she's fine._ He thought to himself. He shut his eyes close and breathed in deeply, "I swear to Agni, if they dare to hurt her or even touch her… I swear I'll-"

 _Creek…_

"Be quiet, Wang!" Fire Sage Feng whispered between his teeth.

"Yes-yes, I'm not-" Wang flinched as he saw a feral bright golden eye, glared at him. "P-prince, uh-I mean…"

"Zuko…" Feng smirked maliciously, "it seems that you have awaken"

Wang closed the door behind them, and they slowly walked further into Zuko's room. Wang couldn't help but stare down to the floor as he approached Zuko's bed. He felt pity for the prince but especially afraid, as he knew how intimidating Zuko could become when he's angry. Feng walked with confident without looking away from Zuko-his eyes reflected the same ferociousness.

"Where is Katara?! Where is she?!" Zuko yelled while struggling against the chains. "What did you fucking do to her?! ANSWER ME!"

Wang and Feng finally stood besides Zuko's bed. Wang still stared down at the floor, while Feng stared down at Zuko with his malicious smirk. "She is fine" he answered while tilting his head to the left, "She is safe. No need to worry". Feng looked at Zuko with disgust and scrunched up his nose.

"I swear… I swear to Agni, if you DARE TO-"

"Oh, please relax" Feng waved his right hand, "You don't need to worry, she is fine I tell you" Feng sighed annoyingly, "She's with your beloved, father… now" he grinned.

Zuko's eyes widened in shock and fear. His face slowly contorted into pure anger. His right golden eye gleamed ferociously, his eyebrows furrowed heavily towards his nose bridge. Zuko suddenly screamed while breathing out a stream of hot red flame from his mouth. He directed the flame right towards Feng's face.

Wang flinched back in surprised, while Feng deflected the fire towards the opposite side. As the flame disappeared into the thin air in front of him, Feng glared towards Zuko, "Do you forget, that I'm a master firebender too?"

Zuko growled in anger, and tried to break the chains with his inner heat. Noticing what Zuko intended to do, Feng chuckled deeply as in to mock him. "Do you seriously think you could get out of those chains? By heating it?" Zuko glared at Feng, and struggled even more against the chains.

"Those chains are a mix of many materials, that are the strongest and most fire proof ever" Feng smirked, "You may break out of those chains… if you never stop heating it for the rest of your life"

"Yes, they are called, Dinatioum Alloy" added Wang.

Feng's eyes widened and turned his head towards Wang, "Wang!" he growled in hush tones. Wang, realizing the information he had slipped out of his mouth, quickly looked away and cleared his throat. Feng grunted and pinched his nose bridge.

Zuko stopped struggling, when he heard such an unfamiliar material name, "What's… what the hell is Dinati-whatever that is. I've never heard of that"

Feng bent his body closer towards Wang, and whispered in his ears.

"Oh, you-mean…" Wang squinted his eyes.

"Yes, do it" Feng said firmly. Feng then turned to look at Zuko again, and with a small smile, he said, "Now, if you would just relax again…"

"Wha-what are you guys doing?"

Feng immediately grabbed Zuko's jaw and held it very firmly, "Now, Wang!"

Zuko struggled harshly, and pulled his arms until he felt as if the chains were digging into his bones. Wang quickly walked closer towards Zuko, opened up a tiny bottle with red liquid inside, and bent his body foward. Zuko's eyes widened as Wang forcedly poured all the liquid into his mouth. Feng immediately closed Zuko's mouth and nose, as he bent Zuko's head backwards.

"Now sleep, exiled prince"

* * *

"I still can't believe what happened though! I mean, ugh what was he thinking?!" Ty Lee threw her hands into the air above her head. "I feel so bad for what happened to him. But, I feel bad for Katara too! Ouugh, why can't we just go there and talk to her?"

Mai sighed deeply, "You know how Zuko is, Ty Lee. He never think twice" Mai turned around and looked out through the windows on her right side. She crossed her arms on her chest, "And Katara told us that she's okay, and that she could handle it herself. We should respect that"

"Yes I know that but… I do bet Katara needs help too. We're her friends after all" Ty Lee added.

"I know Ty Lee, I know. But there's nothing much we could do. We could only wait until she sends us another letter" Mai turned her head, and stared mindlessly towards the wall few feet away from her, "or if she would ever send us another letter"

Ty Lee rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips, "Ugh, don't be so negative thinking Mai. It's not good for your health"

Mai waved her left hand dismissively, "You and your 'pink' aura"

"Huh, what?"

"Never mind"

Ty Lee huffed. She crossed her arms on her chest and stomped her feet, "I just wish I could at least help or do something you know. What would you do if you were in Katara's place? You would feel the need of help too"

"I don't know" Mai shrugged it off and stood up. "Anyway, I gotta go soon. Mom said that some important guests would be coming soon and I have to be present"

Ty Lee shook her head. "I just hope for the best… for both of them, I suppose" she sighed deeply. Mai just simply nodded and went to her make up table.

Ty Lee walked slowly towards the window and looked out. _Hmm… autumn is coming soon it seems._ She thought to herself. _I wonder what might happen next after all of this. I wonder if Zuko would ever tell her._

* * *

"Wh-where… am I?" Zuko blinked his eyes several times. He slowly opened them and looked around. "What…?" He noticed that he was flying a few feet above the lush ground. "The-what's going on?" He turned around and realized that he's now at the same place, where he met the 'mysterious' man in his previous dream. He felt weird that he realized he's in a dream. Everything felt surreal but also… real at the same time. It felt so vivid.

"Huh, is this what they call, vivid dreaming?" Zuko asked himself. He scratched his eyes with his knuckles to look better into the distance. "That's the lake from before!" He exclaimed as he moved his body forward towards the tiny lake. Zuko saw the same man, standing alone while starring into the murky lake below. Zuko noticed that the water was now murky, and the sky slowly turned into a dark grey shade. The green lush grass slowly turned brown.

"What's happening?! No!" Zuko tried to run towards the mysterious man but felt unable to move a single muscle. "Hey! Hey there! C-Can you hear me?! HEY!" Zuko flinched in surprised as a sudden grumbling sound of thunder rolled in the dark clouds above. The sky turned into a malicious red tone. The grass was now all burnt out, the water started to turn black, and the trees were suddenly on fire.

"The hell?!" Zuko rarely felt scared in his life, but now he couldn't deny that terrible feeling inside his chest. He suddenly heard a sobbing, which slowly turned into a deep cry. He noticed that it was the mysterious man.

The man slowly kneeled down onto the ground, and bent his body forward, "I failed her… I failed her…"

"Hey! You never answer me. I know you could hear me! Answer me!" Zuko shouted.

"I failed her, I failed her, I failed her"

Zuko furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "What are you talking about?!"

"I should've protected her… it's all my fault"

Within a blink of an eye, Zuko was suddenly in a different scene. His vision was blurry, but he could feel such terrible heat all around him. He blinked his eyes and shook his head, as he saw glaring red flames all around him. He then saw that he was standing on a pile of firewood. When Zuko suddenly heard a soft sobbing, he quickly looked down and saw Katara kneeling in front of him.

Katara slowly looked up and stared straight into his eyes. Her deep magical blue eyes looked so dull and dead. Katara clutched her palms on her chest, and with tearful eyes she said, "P-please…. Please, Zuko… Why? T-tell me, why?"

And with that, everything went back into pure darkness.

* * *

"B-but... but father, I just… don't understand!" Katara talked in hush tones, with a tremor in her voice. She kept playing with the hems of her clothes as she felt nervous and scared. "I just don't understand why you said before that you… 'expected me to'. You mean... you mean this was a test, for me?"

"You may interpret it yourself" Ozai answered in his usual low tone, without looking at Katara. He kept starring at the fireplace in front of him, his hands clutched behind his back. "You do understand that this is for the best"

Katara sniffled, "N-no I don't… Father, please don't do this. Don't do this to him!" she raised her voice slowly.

"Silence Katara!" Ozai turned around towards Katara. He glared and scrunched his nose, "My decision is ALWAYS final, and I will NOT change it"

Katara's eyes widened in shock, "But I-"

"ENOUGH KATARA! When will you ever LEARN! You don't want to end up like him, do you?" Ozai growled menacingly.

Katara clamped her mouth shut as she gasped in fear, "N-no please, please I…"

"Then go and tell him the news, you are dismissed" Ozai waved his right hand dismissively then turned around again. He walked towards a pile of books and scrolls on the left corner near the fireplace.

Katara slowly stood up, her fists balled, her body shivered in anger. _No… I won't let him do this. I won't let him torture Zuko like this. I won't let Zuko do this alone._ Katara whispered inwardly to herself. She turned on her heels and walked towards the door. Before she left the room, she quickly said, "Then I will go with him, just like uncle Iroh!" and with that, Katara immediately left the room and ran as fast as she could to her room.

That night, Katara decided to calm down before packing her stuffs for tomorrow departure. She sat in front of her work desk, starring at the tiny candle besides her diary. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, "I have to write a bit…" She opened her diary book, dipped her quill into the ink, and started writing.

 _Dear diary,_

 _It seems that everything has changed and… going to change even more, mom. I still don't understand how come father could be so cruel towards Zuko. I feel like, I don't even want to call him my father anymore. I'm so sorry mom… I wish I could've done something more for Zuko. I'm confused myself, I don't really know what to do. But I do know I can't let him do this alone. I won't. This is just cruel. I will go with him and start our long journey to find the… avatar._

Katara put her quill back next to her diary. "I don't know how to explain it to Zuko tomorrow… ugh, I don't even know if I could". Katara sighed and slowly closed her diary book, "But I know I have to be strong, mom. I know I have to, for him too"

Katara stood up and walked towards her bathroom. _I think I should take a quick warm bath to calm myself more._ She thought to herself, as she slowly began to disrobe herself. Katara mindlessly looked around her bathroom, and saw the pot plant in the corner. Her eyes widened as she remembered what she had buried inside the pot.

Katara immediately put back her clothes, and ran towards the pot. She began digging with her bare hands until she saw the tiny black box, resting gently inside. She grabbed the box and it felt cold to the touch. She pulled it out and put it on the floor gently-as bits of soil fell onto the floor.

"Phew…" Katara could feel her heart beat fasten in anticipation and nervousness. "Okay, time to open this… oh yeah, the key!" Katara walked towards a small wardrobe nearby. She crouched low and laid flat on the floor. She reached her hands towards the space between the wardrobe and the floor. She remembered that she had hid the key on the wooden board below the wardrobe. "Ah, there you are!"

Katara immediately grabbed the tiny box, put in the key, and slowly turned it around. _Click!_ Katara's eyes widened in surprise and she smiled widely. "Okay, I wonder…." She tried so hard to steady her breathing, as she slowly opened the box's lid.

* * *

Author's note : Evil cliffhanger I know, sorry not sorry :^) please review and comments 3 I will update as soon as possible.


	13. Chapter 13 - Bad Messenger

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : New chapter, woo! Oh and, thanks to that guest whom told me that the sound effect of door should be "Creak" instead of "Creek" lol. Quite a lot of my local books here translated it into "Creek" so I thought that's the right one haha.

CHAPTER 13 – Bad Messenger

" _Aahaha! I got you agaaiinn!"_

" _That's NOT fair, Katara!"_

" _Oh please, Zuko. Just accept it. I'm a better runner than you! That's why I always win!"_

 _Zuko huffed annoyingly and stomped away, "Whatever, you can't make excuses". Zuko sat down on the bench nearby, and gently laid his head back. "Soo thirsty…" he panted._

 _Katara put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "You really need to get off your high horse, Zuko". Katara huffed, walked slowly towards Zuko, and sat next besides him. "Gahh, so thirsty too. It's so hot today! Eugh, I hate it"_

 _Zuko smirked then looked at Katara from the corner of his eyes, "Haha, well, welcome to the fire nation I guess"_

 _Katara pouted a little and just mindlessly stared ahead. She wondered how come she could make friends quite fast with Zuko-the fire nation prince. She never thought that she would ever make friends with someone from the fire nation, it's very unexpected indeed. Let alone, becoming one of them._

 _Katara slowly closed her eyes and sighed, "It's almost been a year…"_

 _Zuko bent his head forward and turned his body around to see Katara better, "What almost a year?" he asked, raising his left eyebrow._

" _Me living here. In the fire nation"_

" _O-oh, yeah…" Zuko turned his head, and stared towards the pond few feet in front of him, "Wow, time flies by, huh?"_

" _Hehe, yeap" Katara smiled a little._

" _Um, Katara? Are you… you're staying, r-right? I-I mean, you're really going to stay with us, right?" Zuko mumbled, while playing with his own fingers._

" _Huh? Of course I am! Why do you ask something like that?"_

" _Ah-um, well… well-I, nevermind" Zuko swallowed and sheepishly looked away._

 _Katara pouted and stuck her nose in the air, "Hmph! Why are you always like that? You're so confusing! You like to not finish a sentence"_

 _Zuko snapped his head back towards Katara, "Wh-what? I'm not!"_

" _Oh, c'mon Zuko. Let's just go back inside. It's so hot here I'm melting! Plus, I'm soo thirsty"_

" _Well, yeah. Me too"_

* * *

"Okay-Okay, calm yourself Katara… stay calm" Katara whispered to herself, as she slowly opened the tiny box's lid. She could feel her heart beat quicken, "It's… it's a… letter?" she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"Huh, I wonder… Whoah, something is inside the letter" Katara felt something a bit heavy inside the letter and so he picked it up, and opened the letter carefully. _Cling!_ An item fell from between the paper, onto her thighs. "Ah! It's a necklace!"

Katara picked up the necklace with her right hand and inspected it. She could feel the soft velvety blue ribbon that looks like it would perfectly fit a neck. _Hmm, this looks pretty tight though…_ She thought to herself. Katara touched the tiny circle pendant, and it felt nothing like any jewelry she had ever known. It felt cold, but very smooth to the touch-silky even. It reflects light better than any pearls she had ever seen.

"The design is so simple, yet it seems… hmm, special?" Katara furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "This looks like it must come from the water tribe"

Katara gently put the necklace down, opened the letter, and slowly read it…

 _Dearest Katara,_

 _First of all, I do know that sooner or later, the time will come for you to read this letter. So I want you to know that by the time you read this, I bet my time had come as well. I could only write you this letter and tell you some things._

 _I do hope that one day you could forgive me. I am so sorry for all the things I did to you. For all the mistakes I've made. For all the time that I could've helped you sooner. Sorry that I was too weak. I hope that you could understand one day and forgive me, even though I know, I am not forgivable. Please do understand that I need to free my family as well. They are very dear to me, and I'm too afraid to lose them._

 _When you first got here, in the fire nation, I saw that you were wearing a necklace. You forgot about it, of course. This necklace is a betrothal necklace of the water tribe people. I bet that it belongs to your mother, since you're wearing it. I wonder why you wore it though, since you were still so young. I knew that if they ever saw this necklace, they would either hide it or destroy it. I can't let that happen, and so I hid it safely. I don't know much about your family, this is the truth. But I do know you had a brother named, "Sokka". You forgot him as well. I truly hope that one day, you could finally find your real family, and become one with them again. I know how it feels like to be separated from your beloved ones. This necklace could be your guide, Katara._

 _I cannot judge too much but… trust no one in the fire nation, Katara. They're like a wolf in a sheep clothing. This is for your own safety. This is for the best. But one thing I must say… It pains me to say this but I admit it, Fire Prince Zuko is trustworthy. Trust him._

 _Secondly, I wish you all the luck in the universe could give. I wish you the best as well. Remember, I love you and I care for you. Lastly, I'm sorry again Katara. I hope you can forgive me one day._

 _Best regards,_

 _Kana_

Drops of tears fell onto the paper, smudging some of the ink words. "K-Kana… I-I don't understand… I knew that o-one day you're going t-to leave, to find your family. B-but…" Katara wiped her tears and tried to control her sobbing. She felt her chest painful from too much pressure of confusion, stress, and hurt. She felt sick. "T-The mistakes? What… W-what mistakes?! What are you talking about? Ugh!"

Katara straighten up herself, breathed in deeply, and let it all out. "Okay, no one can know this… I have to destroy this letter". She picked up the necklace and put it on the table next to the sink nearby. "I have to burn this…" she whispered to herself, as she stared down onto the letter, then to a candle in front of her.

After Katara was done, she took a quick warm bath and let her mind wonder. _It's like… everything that had happened… happened in a pattern. From what happened to Zuko, then to Kana, and then to me. It all connected in a way. Me joining Zuko in his banishment could be a chance for me to meet my family. Wow, huh… apparently I have a brother named Sokka. Hehe, I wonder how old is he right now. I wonder if I'm the big sister or not haha._ Katara sighed deeply and slid herself deeper into the warm relaxing water, "But I wonder if I could recognize my brother, when-if, we ever meet or pass through each other. I think the only way is for him to recognize me, as I'll wear this necklace. Yes… I will wear it later on"

Katara sighed and got out of the tub slowly. She bend all the water dry from her body, and slid into her nightgown. Before she went to sleep, she walked towards a big window near her bedside and stared into the distance. "Tomorrow is going to be a new day… a new life too I suppose". Katara grumbled and pinched her nose bridge, "Ugh, and I still haven't think clearly on how to tell this to Zuko. Oh please be with me, mom". When she said the word 'mom', two completely different figures appeared in her mind. One was wearing red, and one was wearing light blue. But both had the same gentle loving light, shining from their eyes.

* * *

"Ugh… what another horrible nightmare" Zuko scratched his head, and breathed out. "Wait, m-my hands!" He quickly stood up straight and felt his head spin. His visions filled with stars. "Shit, this headache ugh. At least I'm not chained anymore"

 _Knock-knock-knock!_

"Just leave me alone! FUCK OFF! Don't come in, I'll attack!" Zuko yelled as he stood up from his bed, and had his firebending pose ready. _I'm seriously not in the mood right now. I'm tired with all these idiots taking care of me!_

"I-it's, Katara!"

"Ka… KATARA!"

 _Creak…_

"Zuko, it's me… sorry I disturbed you-ah!" Katara gasped as Zuko suddenly sprinted towards her, and threw himself onto her body. "Zuko!"

Zuko bent his body back and held Katara's shoulders tightly, "You're okay! Oh, thank Agni, you're okay!"

Katara slowly smiled a little and patted Zuko on the shoulder. She gently said, "Y-yes, I'm fine, Zuko. I'm okay. Are YOU okay? How are you feel-"

"What did they do to you? Did they hurt you? The guards? The fire sages? Where did they take yo-"

"Zuko, Zuko…" Katara chuckled and slowly shook her head. She smiled, then stared straight into Zuko's eyes, "Believe me, I'm fine Zuko. Nothing happened. I'm here to-um… Zuko, there's something really important I-uh, you need to know". Her face slowly contorted into distress, then sadness. She sighed deeply and looked away, "Let's sit down, this is serious"

Zuko flinched a little and slid his arms slowly away from Katara. "Oh-uh, kay? Is there… something wrong?" He offered Katara to sit on the cushions in front of the fireplace, far on the left side of his room. He plopped down onto one of the cushion, and sprawled his hands around. "Okay, well?" he raised an eyebrow.

Katara bit her lower lip and played with her own fingers. She steadied herself, and turned her body to fully look at Zuko. She huffed, then straighten up herself, "Alright, um-Zuko… today… around three to four hours later, argh! I-I can't do this… I'm so sorry, Zuko. I don't kno-"

"Katara? Hey. Hey, Katara… look at me" Zuko furrowed his eyebrows and gently laid his right palm onto Katara's left arm. He tilted his head a bit to the side, "You can tell me anything, you know"

"This isn't about me. It's about you"

"M-me? Did I, do something wrong?"

Katara's eyes widened, "No! No! Of course not-ugh…" Katara looked down, then slowly looked up straight to Zuko again, "You have to go. To-um go away, from here... Take anything that you want to take from here. Anything you still want to-um, bring with you. I-I'll help you, if you want". Katara stuttered her words, and talked a bit too fast than she had expected.

"W-what? I don't… I-I don't understand? I don't understand what you're talking about" Zuko slowly moved his body back, away from Katara, as if he didn't want to accept this information. He knew what this might mean, and he wasn't ready to accept it. He didn't want to accept it.

"Fathe-ugh, Ozai… H-he told me to tell you this. You can't stay here anymore, Zuko. You have to set journey to-"

"WHAT?! WHAT THE FUCK?!" Zuko suddenly stood up. His fists balled on his sides, his jaws clenched tightly, and his eyes gleamed with shock and anger.

Katara slowly stood up, and held her hands up, "Z-zuko, please calm-"

Zuko turned around and stared into the fireplace in front of him, "You mean… you mean, I'M BANISHED?! I AM BANISHED, BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO HELP OTHERS?!". Katara noticed a bit of smoke starting to from from Zuko's shivering clenched fists.

Katara flinched back. She was starting to think to just leave him alone, and give him some space. She felt a bit scared whenever Zuko was like this, but she was curious at the same. Curious on why Zuko said that he was trying to help others. She wondered again, what really happened in the war meeting.

"Your uncle will go with you…"

Zuko slowly turned around, though not fully, then turned back to stare into the fireplace again. He unclenched and clenched his fists, "U-Uncle Iroh?" his voice sounded too small and soft to be heard. Katara thought if he's going to sob or not.

"Yes, Zuko. He banished himself to help you on this journey"

"What kind of fucking journey? Journey to leave home? To go farther away from here?" Zuko's breathing became unsteady.

Katara flinched and stepped back a few steps, knowing to take some distance from him. "Ye-no… no, Zuko. You 'can' return, if you… if you find the avatar and catch him. Bring him back here. That's the task that Fire Lord Ozai has given to you…"

"Katara… you do know that the avatar hasn't been seen for a freaking hundred years?" Zuko huffed, "THIS IS A FUCKING JOKE!" He yelled and shot a stream of fire towards the fireplace.

"Ah! Z-Zuko, I-"

"Leave, Katara" Zuko growled from between his gritted teeth.

Katara took a deep breath and released, "You know where I am, if you ever need me". She slowly walked towards the door.

"Yeah of course, you'll be staying here" Zuko mumbled his words.

Before she got out from Zuko's room, she took another glance towards him and said, "I'll be coming with you too, Zuko"

"Katara-"

With that, Katara immediately closed the door behind her. She couldn't handle it anymore. It was too hard, too heavy with so much pressures, and also guilt. She knew that she had done nothing wrong, but she had wished that she could at least do something more to help him. As she slowly walked away from Zuko's room, she heard screaming, loud curses, then some crashing and things getting burned inside his room.

* * *

" _Wow, Zuko… these fireflies never stop to amaze me. They're so beautiful!"_

 _Zuko slowly turned his head to his left and stared at Katara. Zuko smiled to himself as Katara was still looking around to watch the fireflies. Her eyes gleamed, and her wide smile made her eyes looked even more alive. Zuko was amazed by how beautiful Katara's blue eyes were. Her eyes reflected the glow of the fireflies, and it made her eyes looked so unreal. "Iyeap, they are…"_

 _Katara chuckled, "Hehe, pretty…" Katara slowly turned around on and flinched when she realized Zuko was being a bit too close to her. "Uh-um, Zuko? What are you looking at?"_

 _Zuko's eyes widened in embarrassment and he sheepishly looked away, "I-uh, nothing! I-I just thought I saw a firefly stuck in your hair!"_

" _What?!"_

" _N-No! No, relax. It was nothing really, I just thought it was-um there…"_

 _Katara furrowed her eyebrows then looked away, "Okay then. Just don't you dare to play a prank on me"_

 _Zuko laughed, "Hahaha, no no. Trust me". He smiled widely and sighed, "Anyway, Katara. It's been almost two years that you came here. You… you really are going to stay here, right?"_

 _Katara rolled her eyes and huffed annoyingly, "Zuko, seriously. As I recall, you asked the same question last year"_

" _Yeah-but, but that was last year! Wh-what about now?"_

 _Katara chuckled, "I'm staying here, Zuuukoo"_

 _Zuko laughed a little and looked away, trying to her the crimson shade on his pale cheek, "Hehe, yeah well… Okay, I see-um. So, you're going to forever live with us, right? With mom? A-and um… with… with me?"_

 _Katara glance at Zuko from the corner of her eyes, and suddenly punched him lightly on the shoulder. Zuko yelped and flinched away, "Ouch, Katara! What was that for?!"_

" _Hahaha, nooothing" Katara stuck out her tongue. "Yes, Zuko I am staying with you-oh! Look!"_

 _Zuko followed his eyes to where Katara was pointing. "Look, Zuko! The clouds are finally gone, and the full moon is uncovered! Look at those pretty Fire Lilies! They're glowing!" Katara suddenly stood up, and walked towards a bush of Fire Lily nearby._

 _Zuko slowly stood up and followed Katara from behind, "Yeah…"_

 _Katara crouched down in front of the bush, "Wow… it's like as if the Fireflies give more light for the Lilies to glow too!"_

" _Katara?"_

 _Katara looked up and sighed, "Yeesss, Zuko?"_

" _Promise?"_

 _Katara furrowed her eyebrow, then turned her head slowly towards Zuko, "What?"_

 _Zuko bit his lower lip and looked away, "Um… promise to stay here? With us? W-with-um, with me?"_

" _Haha, silly. Yes, of course!"_

 _Zuko turned around again and smiled widely, "Pinky promise?" He offered his right pinky finger to Katara._

" _Alwaays!" Katara intertwined her left pinky finger with Zuko's._

* * *

Katara thanked herself for packing all of her stuffs very early that morning. She decided that she'd use every bit of time left to relax, and write a letter to her friends, Mai and Ty Lee. In that letter, she didn't write much as she thought that it's best not to explain too much. She told her friends that she must leave to accompany Zuko. She told her friends how much she would miss them as well.

Katara still felt bad to be the one to deliver such bad news. She didn't even know why Ozai asked her to personally tell it to Zuko. She thought that Ozai might force Zuko to go to the throne room, kneel in front of him, and receive the bad news straight from his own father's mouth. Ozai had always been one to embarrass Zuko, as Zuko humiliated his father. Katara still felt something fishy with this situation. Something's not right. Something that got to do with her as well.

Katara decided to check again all of her belongings, and made sure that she had packed everything she wanted to take with her. She had hid her mother's betrothal necklace into her pocket inside her clothes. She smiled as she checked inside her personal small bag for the third time. She had brought the elegant fan that Iroh gave to her as a present years ago, and of course, Zuko's sketch of her.

"It's almost time…" Katara sighed deeply, as she stared out through the window on her left side. "Phew, okay. Time to go". She picked up her small bag and put it on her shoulder.

Katara opened her door and signaled the guards near her room that she was ready. The guards immediately went inside Katara's room, and picked up all her luggage away. "Um, you're going to send it all directly to the ship, right?" Katara asked to one of the guards.

"Yes, we will immediately send your belongings right to the ship deck, um-P-Princess Katara" The guard mumbled Katara's name, and immediately looked down while he passed next to her.

Katara sighed, "Alright then". Katara pinched her nose bridge. _Time to go to Zuko again, I suppose. I hope he had packed up. But I doubt it that he's ready._ She thought to herself. Katara mindlessly walked alone through the dark hallways. The atmosphere felt so dark, eerie, and in a way, cold. Even though there were no statuses, only torches, she felt as if dark evil eyes were watching her every move. Judging her. Mocking her. Telling her that she's not welcome there anymore. That this place… had never been her home.

Katara kept looking down onto the red carpet beneath her feet, and mindlessly turned around a corner she already remember, "Awh!" Katara felt she bumped into someone.

"M-my! Why, I'm so sorry for my bouncy belly, hehehe"

Katara's eyes widened, then she slowly smiled, "Uncle Iroh!" She quickly threw herself onto Iroh and hugged him tightly. "Ahh! I'm sooo glad to see you!"

"I'm glad to see you too, my beautiful niece. I'm so sorry I've been… away. I should've be there for you, and of course, my nephew" Iroh said grimly. He closed his eyes and shook his head lightly, "I'm so sorry"

Katara looked away, "I-it's okay really… I could handle it myself. I told Zuko about everything. It was really difficult for me, but of course, especially him"

"I know that. It must be very difficult for him to accept the news" Iroh sighed deeply.

"Yes, he didn't take it… lightly, at all. And I felt bad for being the one to deliver such news. I feel so, guilty" Katara slowly closed her eyes.

Iroh gently lift Katara's chin. He smiled a sad smiled and gently said, "It's not your fault at all. You're not guilty Katara. You've done the best you could. Now, I do believe you're on your way to Zuko?"

Katara smiled a little then nodded her head, "Yeap, I am"

"Hehe, then I'm right on time. I went this way to see you so that we could go together to see him. Let's go then"

"Right…"

Katara and Iroh walked together side by side in silent, through the empty hallways. The closer they got towards Zuko's room, the darker the hallway seemed to be. The closer Katara got, the faster her heart beat. She could feel her palms sweat, she had no idea what to say or do after all of this. They finally came into a stop in front of Zuko's door.

"Well, I suppose-" Katara's words were cut out as the door in front of her suddenly opened. Katara gasped a little, "Zuko?"

Zuko was looking down all the while. He slowly looked up and stared straight into Katara's eyes. Zuko turned his head slowly to the left and saw his uncle, who was smiling a little at him. Zuko glanced again towards Katara, then down onto her small bag. He furrowed his eyebrows. Zuko huffed annoyingly then suddenly turned on his heels and walked pass through Katara and Iroh.

"C'mon uncle. Time to fucking leave this place" Zuko growled without looking back.

Iroh flinched a little, then sighed, "Alright, nephew". Iroh nodded towards Katara and gently said, "C'mon Katara, let's go n-"

"She's NOT coming" Zuko spoke lowly through his gritted teeth.

Katara flinched back and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "W-what? What do you mean? I AM coming with you"

Zuko slowly stop on his track, "You have to stay here, Katara". He then continued walking forward.

Katara huffed annoyingly and started to feel angry at this situation, "You might be hot headed, but you can't change that I'm coming with you. I AM coming-"

Zuko suddenly turned on his heels and glared at Katara, "I FUCKING SAID, NO! I DON'T WANT YOU TO COME WITH ME!"

"Zuko..." Katara clamped her mouth as she gasped at Zuko's remark.

Iroh shook his head, "Nephew, don't-"

"Ugh!" Zuko huffed, "No. Just, no. Katara, this is for the best. For you. You don't need to do this, okay? You don't have any purpose joining with me" Zuko sighed deeply, then stared into Katara's eyes grimly, "Katara… I don't want you to suffer again, because of me"

Katara's eyes widened, tears started to form in the corner of her eyes, "Z-Zuko… Me? suffering because of you? Again? Huh-Wha-" She closed her eyes, then slowly opened them again. She looked away and gently said, "I choose this myself, you know. I choose to come with you, and to help you on this journey. I want to come with you. I'm fine, Zuko. I'm not suffering and I will not be!"

Zuko shook his head and smiled a little, "Why can't you understand, tara? You won't be happy in this journey. Just stay and be safe-"

"NO!" Katara's head snapped towards Zuko. She clenched her fists and glared at him. She straightened up herself and stomped her way through towards Zuko. When she was close enough to Zuko, she spoke lowly, "No matter what you think, I AM coming with you and you can't change that. First thing first, I want to help you, okay? I want to be there too. Secondly, I'm not a little helpless girl anymore, Zuko. I can take care of myself"

Zuko stared down at Katara then smirked a little, "Never change, huh?" He shook his head, then turned on his heels to walk again. "Don't come with me Katara. You can't even tell me the reason why. You only wanted to help me, and that's not necessary. Just stay here". Zuko slowed his pace a little, turned his head a bit, and looked at Katara from the corner of his eyes, "I will come back, you know"

* * *

Author's note : Sooo, will Zuko allow Katara to come, or not? Will Katara give up, or not? What would happen? Well, I don't know :p Find out on the next chapter! Reviews please 3


	14. Chapter 14 - Beginning of A Journey

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : Yayy new chapter!

CHAPTER 14 – Beginning of A Journey

 _Zuko shook his head and smiled a little, "Why can't you understand, tara? You won't be happy in this journey. Just stay and be safe-"_

" _NO!" Katara's head snapped towards Zuko. She clenched her fists and glared at him. She straightened up herself and stomped her way through towards Zuko. When she was close enough to Zuko, she spoke lowly, "No matter what you think, I AM coming with you and you can't change that. First thing first, I want to help you, okay? I want to be there too! Secondly, I'm not a little helpless girl anymore, Zuko. I can take care of myself"_

 _Zuko stared down at Katara then smirked a little, "Never change, huh?" He shook his head, then turned on his heels to walk again. "Don't come with me Katara. You can't even tell me the reason why. You only wanted to help me, and that's not necessary. Just stay here. I will come back, you know"_

* * *

Katara's jaw fell opened. She glared deeply into Zuko's back, "W-well... well because I L-UGH-CARE FOR YOU!"

Zuko suddenly stop on his track, and bent his shoulders so that he could see Katara from the corner of his eyes, "What… did you say?"

Katara blushed and sheepishly looked away, "I-um… I care for you, you know that. I want to help you because I care for you. Plus, don't you remember? That I promised to never leave you? When I promise, I never-ever, break that. Let me… let me just come with you, okay?" she spoke softly.

Katara could see a small smile on Zuko's face. As Zuko continued on walking, he said, "Very well then, come along" he chuckled lowly. Katara's eyes brighten in relieve, she let out a deep breath and she smiled to herself. She walked forward and quicken up her pace until she was close to Zuko's back.

Iroh, who had been watching them silently, smiled to himself as well. He shook his head, and walked a little bit quicker to catch up with Katara and Zuko. _My, my, just look at those two…_ Iroh thought to himself. _Different indeed… but very much alike._

The three of them walked in silence through the long hallways. When they had reached the edge of the main grand hallway, they stopped in front of the big doors. Katara wondered why they, or more likely, Zuko had stopped and just stood there in silence. She thought he mustn't be that ready, but the silence was just getting awkward, and she wished Iroh would say or do something.

Zuko sighed and titled his head a little towards Iroh, "Uncle?"

"Yes, Zuko?" Iroh replied with his low gruff voice.

"We're… we're not going to see…"

Iroh closed his eyes and sighed deeply, "No, my nephew. We have to go now"

"I see…" Zuko turned his head back towards the door. He mumbled something, and then roughly pushed the doors opened. "Let's just go then" his voice raspy.

When Zuko was a few feet away in front of Katara and Iroh, Katara slowly walked closer to Iroh. She cleared her throat and whispered softly, "Uncle? Was-um, was he asking bout… dad?"

"Yes, that's right" Iroh replied in a low tone, while he slipped his arms into each others' long sleeves.

"Oh, I see… well I-"

"Well, well… look who's here now. I guess you traitors are ready for departure?"

"A-Azula!" Katara gasped when she saw Azula leaning on a pillar nearby.

Azula smirked, "Hi there water siren, and uncle fatso". She uncrossed her arms and straightened up herself, slowly walking towards Katara and the others.

"Azula…" Zuko growled from behind his gritted teeth. He glared at her with his slit eyes, "Don't you EVER call them like that!" Zuko bitterly spat as he clenched his fists.

Azula trailed her eyes to where Zuko was standing, then rolled her eyes, "And hello there, scar face" she chuckled and smirked maliciously.

Katara clamped her mouth as she gasped at Azula's horrible insult. _How could she ever said such thing! That's horrible!_ She thought to herself. She quickly looked towards Zuko, and saw the pain and hurt on his face. Zuko parted his mouth slightly as if to say something, but then closed it again and abruptly looked away.

"Azula, that's enough!" Iroh said sternly, while he glared towards Azula.

"Y-yeah, just leave us alone!" Katara shouted. She stomped her way towards Zuko and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Zuko?" She gently said, "Let's just go now"

"Ouch, don't want to say goodbye to your own 'sister'?" Azula teased, "And, aaww, how sweeett you two are" she chuckled lowly, even though her eyes showed disgust. "I'm just here to tell you that father had prepared the palanquins for you to go to the harbor. Good 'luck'". And with that, Azula flicked her front bangs and walked away back into the palace.

Katara saw that below the main high stairs of the palace, were two palanquins with its' carriers, and some guards, awaited for the three of them. Zuko silently just walked forward and down onto the stairs. Katara huffed then followed behind Zuko, and so did Iroh. When they had reached the bottom of the stairs, Katara approached one of the palanquin carrier and asked, "Um, there are the three of us. But… why are there only two palanquins?"

The carrier bowed slightly then sheepishly looked away, "I-uh… Fire Lord Ozai ordered for only two palanquins. For General Iroh, and P-Princess Katara…"

Katara flinched and furrowed her eyebrows, "Wait, what?"

The carrier titled his eyes towards Zuko, and realized that Zuko was glaring daggers at him. The carrier flinched back and shivered a little, "M-my apologize. F-Fire Lord Ozai f-forbidden for P-pri, uh Z-Zuko to be carried"

Katara's eyes widened in disbelieve, she felt her jaw fell to the floor. She slowly turned around to her left to see Zuko, and she saw his face was in total shock. His eyes were wide like it would pop out of the socket, his mouth slightly opened, and drops of sweat trickled down from his forehead to his cheek. Zuko closed his mouth and swallowed hard. His breathing became unsteady and his fists slowly clenched, "Y-you… you can't be serious" he said with a quivering voice. Katara rarely heard him talked in such tone, she wanted all of this to just stop. Wishing that it's still just a horrible, terrible, nightmare.

"Then I'm walking" Iroh stated sternly. He brushed passed the carrier and guards then walked on forward. "C'mon kids, let's go"

"Un-uncle… you, y-you don't-" Zuko stuttered.

"Me too!" Katara brushed passed the carrier and confidently walked forward. She tilted her head a bit towards Zuko and said, "Let's go, Zuko"

"Katara…" Zuko's voice was low and tiny, as if the wind carried his voice away.

All of the carriers bowed lowly and backed away with the palanquins. The guards slowly walked closer and made a line on the left and right side. "Then we will escort you to the harbor. There is a shortcut, so we don't have to walk through the main street or city" the leader of the guard said.

"W-wait, what are you saying?" The other guard asked his leader.

"What I'm saying, is that we will escort them using a different route, since they're not using the palanquins"

Another guard, whose body was small compare to the others said, "N-No, we can't do that, sir! It's Fire Lord Ozai's order. We're not-"

"Ah, to hell with his orders!" the leader shouted. All of the guards gasped and some of them flinched by their own leader's remark. Even Zuko fully turned around to see what the commotion was about. Katara furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

The small guard bowed his head a little and stuttered, "I-I'm so sorry, sir. B-but I… I can't take this risk. I-uh, please, excuse me" and with that, he turned on his heels and walked as fast as he could back to the palace.

"Y-yeah, please excuse me too, sir" another guard said and left as well. Soon, the other guards voiced their disagreement as well and turned on their heels to walk away. All of the guards left, except for one guard and the leader himself.

"Oh… my Agni" Katara whispered to herself. She sighed and shook her head. She turned around to face the guard leader and spoke, "I don't… understand. Why are you doing this?"

The guard leader smiled and bowed deeply, "Forgive me, Princess Katara" he tilted his body a little towards Zuko and Iroh, "General Iroh, and… Prince Zuko"

"Fuck with your bullshit!" Zuko suddenly shouted. He was about to attack the man in anger but Iroh immediately stopped him.

"Zuko! Stop this!" Iroh sighed then turned to meet the guard leader, "Forgive my nephew"

"No, please… forgive me. I meant no disrespect" the guard leader bowed slightly again. "My name is Muzo" he then waved his hand towards the other guard that stood by his side, "and this is Rei, my loyal companion guard".

Rei bowed deeply, "All of my respect to you"

Katara titled her eyes to see Zuko looking away, not wanting to do with any of this. She shook her head and turned her head to look at Muzo again. She chuckled slightly, "Well, thanks for your-um, willingness to guard us. But, may I ask why? You do know the consequences right?"

Muzo smiled a little, "You once healed and saved my father. You might not remember him at all, but you saved him. He was one of the soldiers that went into battle, years ago"

Katara blushed a little and looked away, "Oh-uh, n-no need to thank me. But I guess, you're welcome"

"Tch" Zuko narrowed his eyes towards Muzo. He huffed, walked past his uncle and stomped away, "C'mon!"

"Y-your high-, ah Prince Zuko, the way is the other way…" Muzo had gathered all the courage to call on his banished prince. Zuko stopped in his mid track and tilted his head to stare at Muzo from his shoulder, "Fine, show me the way then" he growled.

The five of them walked side by side in awkward silence. They went through small streets that led to a small forest nearby, where they would come out right beside the harbor. Zuko always walked ahead of the others, he's so used to always be the one in the front-the leader, but now, he's not so sure anymore. The farther he walked away from the palace, the more he felt a tug inside his heart. It was weird that in a way he felt relieved he could get out of this nation for once, but that bitter feeling was still there, by the fact that he left because he's banished. Not because he chose to.

When they finally emerged from the forest and onto the clearing, some guards that stood by Zuko's ship were startled by their presence. Some of them were whispering to each other, and some mumbled words along the lines, "what are they doing?" and "why did they come from that way?"

"This is as far as I could go" Muzo bowed down to Katara, Iroh, and Zuko. "I shall make my way back now" he hesitated, "Have a safe trip"

Zuko furrowed his eyebrows in anger and disgust, he growled and stomped his way towards Muzo, "Stop with your bullshit, you _disgust_ me. Why? You're happy to see your prince go? Now _fuck off_ before I rip your entire head off!" and with that, Zuko turned on his heels and quickly walked up to his ship. He immediately went inside the cabin without looking back at all.

Iroh closed his eyes and shook his head. Katara sighed then turned around to Muzo and Rei, "Thank you for your assistance. I-uh, we appreciate it"

Muzo and Rei bowed and simply nodded their heads. They turned around and walked back into the forest. Iroh approached one of the guards below deck and asked if their belongings were already brought into the ship. The guards told him that everything was already set, and they're all ready for departure. Katara wondered how many guards or soldiers that were going to join in this journey. She asked to a guard nearby, and he answered that they were 30 soldiers in total.

When Katara and Iroh went inside the cabin, two guards came up to them and told them that they had prepared their rooms. Katara thanked them, and the guards nodded then left. "Well… I guess I'll go unpack my stuffs now" Katara said to Iroh.

Iroh smiled a sad smile, "Yes well… I guess me too". Iroh walked foward and about to turn around a corner, but stopped in his track and turned around his head to look at Katara again, "Oh and, Katara?"

"Yes, uncle?"

"I'll be making tea in the private meeting room. You do know where the room is right?"

"Yeap, I do"

"Good, come and join me later!" Iroh smiled brightly, then continued on walking.

"Haha, yes of course!" Katara cheered.

Katara turned around another corner and saw there were three metal doors on the hallway. One was at the end of the hallway, and the other two doors were face to face on the left and right side. She knew that her room was on the left one, so she bet that the door on the right must lead to Zuko's room. The metal door at the end of the hallway looked a bit different. _Hmm, must be the bathroom._ She wondered. She walked towards the door and opened it a bit just to peak and made sure. She was right of course, it was indeed the bathroom.

Katara knew not to disturb Zuko right now and to give him some space, but she wondered what he might be doing right now. She slowly tip-toed towards Zuko's door, and lightly pressed her right ear on the metal door. _Can I even hear anything through this door, though?_ She internally asked to herself. _Ah whatever, I'm gonna go unpack now._

Katara backed away from the door and slowly walked into her own room. The room was a lot smaller than her bedroom back in the palace, of course. It was aroun meters square. "Ah well, this is not so bad…" she whispered to herself, as she took in the room. There was a medium sized bed in the middle, with two end tables on each side of it. A fire nation insignia flag hanged on the wall behind. There was a mirror and a tiny dresser on the left side, then a chair and a work desk on the right side. Katara tilted her eyes to the right corner and saw some piles of bags, "Ah, those must be my stuffs"

Katara put down her personal tiny bag that she had been carrying onto the bed. She sat on the bed's edge and slumped a little. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily, "Ugh… where to even start?" She slowly opened her eyes and stared at her small bag. "Maybe, I should…"

Katara opened her small bag, and felt that familiar cold pendant, "Ah there it is!" she took her mother's necklace out and held it in her hands. She slowly stood up and walked to the left side of the room, towards the mirror nearby. She put on the necklace then stood there staring at her own reflection. She didn't know what to feel. The blue necklace looked so out of place with her entire red fire nation outfit. Katara lightly touched the pendant with her soft slim fingers, she felt a connection with it, "My… my mother, huh? A betrothal necklace. Hmm, I wonder… I wonder how Sokka looks like. I wonder how my dad looks like?"

Katara sighed and shook her head. _I gotta go meet uncle Iroh now. Ugh, I feel so uncomfortable. This is all too depressing, I might as well need some company and good tea!_ She thought to herself. She patted her clothes and put on a tiny smile. With one last glance on her reflection, she turned around and went outside to go join Iroh.

* * *

Zuko mindlessly stared at the wall in front of him, not knowing what to do. _Now that things have changed… now that I'm on this journey-no, this mission… what am I suppose to do next? What am I suppose to do now? I have no idea what to do, where to start, where to-ARGH FUCKING SHIT!_

Zuko abruptly stood up from the bed and walked towards his pile of bags. He closed his eyes and sighed, "Ugh, I'm not even in the mood to unpack yet…" Zuko huffed annoyingly and started to look around his new room again. It was small and simple compare to his previous royal bedroom. Even though this was a lot way better than his own guards' room, he still felt so low and so out of… status. He growled in anger and ran through his hair, he immediately stopped when he realized that most of the hair on his left head was shaved, and his left face was still covered in linen bandages.

Zuko noticed a mirror in the corner, and slowly walked towards it. When he saw his reflection, he flinched and held his breath, "Agni… I-I look… I look like SHIT!" He realized that he won't be able to stand having mirrors around him, for now. He quickly searched for any fabric or blanket that he could use to cover the mirror. When he was done, he sighed and backed away from the now covered mirror. "I need to get out of here" and with that, he quickly opened the door, and walked out of his room.

* * *

"Um, excuse me?" Katara peaked into the private meeting room, where Iroh said he would be waiting.

"Ah! My beautiful niece, Katara. Please, do come in and join me for tea!" Iroh waved his hands and gestured for Katara to come in. Katara smiled and opened the door wider for her to get inside. She saw that Iroh was already starting to pour some tea to another cup for her.

"Soo, what tea is this? Smells quite different then the tea that you used to brew" Katara asked as she walked towards Iroh, and gently sat on a cushion in front of him.

"This is-" Iroh stopped his sentence when he looked up at Katara. "Wow, that… necklace"

Katara's eyes widened, she immediately brought up her hand to touch the cold smooth pendant, "Ah yes! It's-um, well… Oh my god, uncle! Your tea!" she pointed to Iroh's hand, which was holding the tea pot. Iroh hadn't realized that he was still pouring the tea onto Katara's cup, and now it had spilled all over the tiny table.

"Oh, my! I'm so sorry haha, excuse me"

"Nah, it's okay. I got this!" Katara licked her upper lip and bend the spilled tea onto an empty cup. "There, I'll put this cup away" She picked it up and put the cup on another table in the corner of the room. Katara walked back and slumped into the cushion. "Ahh this tea smells sooo good!"

"It's even better when you taste it! Hehe"

Katara sipped a little and closed her eyes, "Mhmm, soo good. Oh this is so refreshing!"

"Yes, glad that you like it. Hmm, by the way… have you talked to Zuko?" Iroh asked while sipping his tea slowly.

"N-no… I haven't. Have you, uncle?"

"No. I think it's best to leave him be for now"

Katara sighed and put her cup down onto the table, "That's right. It must be… very hard for him right now. Uncle, I-um... Ugh, may I pleeaase please know what happened back then? In the war meeting?"

Iroh closed his eyes then pinched his nose bridge, "Katara…" he sighed deeply, "I do know that you really want to know but, I'm not the right person to tell you that"

Katara lifted an eyebrow, "Huh, why?"

"You see… if you want to truly know what happened, then ask the man himself. Try asking Zuko-" Iroh was cut when the door suddenly opened, and came in a young man with a grim solemn look on his face.

"Z-Zuko!" Katara stuttered.

Zuko slowly looked up to see Katara and Iroh, "Hey guys…" he smiled a little. "The tea smells really good, may I have some?"

Katara flinched back and slowly tilted her eyes towards Iroh. She didn't expect Zuko to be… not yelling or anything? She knew that this whole ordeal was a terrible tragedy, and Zuko's been depressed ever since he woke up from his deathless sleep. She knew that he was trying his best, but it's painful to see him like this.

"Why, y-yes of course, my nephew! Come, sit here and join us!" Iroh spread his arms as if he's giving Zuko a warm welcome. Zuko just nodded and took a seat between Katara and Iroh.

"So, what's-, wait… what is that?" Zuko straightforwardly pointed to Katara's necklace. Katara touched the pendant with her thumb and forefinger. She smiled a sad smile and answered, "It's my mother's necklace. A betrothal necklace to be exact"

"Uh, our mom-"

Katara's eyes widened, "No! No, sorry Zuko, you got it all wrong. I meant, 'my' mother" She sighed deeply and took another sip of her tea, "You see, before Kana 'left', she gave me a key to her personal belongings. She told me to open it when the time comes. Ever since she left, I kept the box hidden but I never had the courage to open it"

Katara paused to look up to see Iroh and Zuko. She noticed that Iroh was listening to her intently, but Zuko seemed a bit… hurt? Katara cleared her throat then continued on, "So, just well, recently, I decided to open the box. I found a letter inside with this necklace. The letter said that…" Katara realized that if she told Zuko about everything in the letter, he might as well order for the ship to turn back and leave Katara behind in the fire nation. She thought that Zuko might as well use the reason that it's not safe for her to follow, but she knew that deep down he's afraid of losing her, if he knew that she wanted to meet her real family. Katara sighed and carefully chose her words, "And well, basically Kana said that when I first arrived in the fire nation, I was wearing this. She told me that it's a water tribe betrothal necklace, so it must belong to my mother. Kana said that it's something special so she kept it hidden for me, because she thought that 'they' might destroy this necklace"

Zuko nodded and looked away, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Katara furrowed her eyebrows, "Uh, why should I?"

Zuko suddenly snapped his head towards Katara, "Well, this is something important. This is something that 'means something' to you!" he sternly said.

"Well, I didn't think it's something important for me to tell you. It's not like I'm going to come up at you and out of nowhere tell you about this" Katara was starting to get annoyed by Zuko's behavior. She thought that Zuko must still be tired since he had a lot to take in, in just one day.

"Of course it is important! That could be an indication about your family!" a shade of soft red was starting to form on Zuko's face. He clenched and unclenched his fists.

Katara flinched and her jaw fell open, "The hell, Zuko? What do you mean by that?"

"You don't trust me, do you?!" Zuko started to yell, "You thought that I might destroy that necklace?!"

"Zuko, that is enough! Calm yourself down" Iroh sternly said to Zuko, while still holding his hot cup of tea.

"NO! Don't you interrupt me!"

"Zuko, what's the matter with you?" Katara gently asked. She knew that Zuko was just depressed and needed to calm down.

"What's the matter with me? What's the matter with YOU?!" Zuko yelled, the candles in the room were starting to grow higher and hotter. "Put, that necklace, away" he growled between his gritted teeth.

Katara gasped and flinched back, "W-what?"

"You heard me, Katara. Put, it, away!" Zuko furrowed his eyebrows heavily, his breathing became ragged. Wisps of smoke started to come out from his clenched fists.

"N-no way! NO! This is MINE. What right do you have to tell me to take it off?!" Katara was now yelling against Zuko as well. She can't believe that Zuko dared to order he around like this. Zuko never yelled harshly like this to her.

Zuko slammed his right fist on the table, "You're going to LEAVE ME! AREN'T YOU?!"

Katara held her breath, she was actually starting to be scared of Zuko. _What on earth happened to him?! Why is he being so harsh? I know he's stressed out, but he's never like this!_ She wondered to herself. "Huh, no! I would NEVER leave you! Why are you saying this?"

"I knew it… I KNEW IT! You're joining me so that you could get the chance to meet your family, right? RIGHT?!" Zuko yelled.

Katara clamped her mouth shut as she gasped. She was shocked that Zuko accused, or more a matter of fact, knew that she did had some intentions to meet her real family. She was planning on using her mother's necklace to maybe meet her brother, but she never wanted to leave Zuko, that's for sure. Katara's eyes filled with tears, she didn't know what to say. Noticing Katara, Iroh shook his head and glared at his nephew. "Zuko, go back to your room. NOW" Iroh sternly said.

"You CAN'T tell me what to do, okay?! You are NOT my father!" Zuko screamed. He suddenly stood up and kicked the table. All of the tea was spilled, and some of the cups that fell cracked. "FUCK THIS, ARGH!"

"Zuko, h-how could y-you-AHH!" Katara gasped as she saw a fire catching the red curtain on the window nearby. "Fire!" She shouted. Katara quickly bend all the tea that was spilled on the floor, and splashed it onto the burning curtain, putting the fire out. It went out with a sizzle and wispy smokes flew from the burnt curtain.

"Uh-uugh…" Zuko felt his head spin, and his body losing its balance. "M-my... head…" he closed his eyes and fell to the ground, but Iroh quickly catched him.

"Zuko!" Katara gently touched Zuko's forehead and sighed, "I'll heal him. Can you please help me carry him to his room?"

"Yes, of course" Iroh simply answered.

Iroh and Katara carried Zuko to his room. Luckily, there were no guards around to see him at such state. It would be embarrassing for Zuko to appear so weak in front of others, even though he's not even conscious. Right after they reached Zuko's room, they immediately put him on his bed. Katara noticed that she needed to change Zuko's bandages as well. Iroh told Katara that after she's done healing him, she should leave him alone. Katara was persistence at first, wanting to stay him by his side. But she knew that Zuko might need some time alone. Iroh told Katara that he will be in the private meeting room again if she needed anything.

Katara patiently healed Zuko, even though she didn't sense any serious sickness at all. She had also cleaned his burn wounds and changed the bandages. Katara sighed and whispered to herself, "I'm so sorry Zuko… I need to know who's my real family is. But… believe me, I won't ever leave your side" Katara laid a gentle kiss on Zuko's forehead and slowly walked outside. She thought about having a bath, but decided to go talk to Iroh a little. As she walked through the long dark hallways, she decided to take off the necklace, for now. She unclipped the necklace, and slipped it into her pocket.

Katara went back to the private room, and as expected, she saw Iroh was in the room. He was tiding up the mess that Zuko had caused. "Ah, uncle! Let me help you!"

"Oh, why thanks Katara…" Iroh nodded and smiled warmly. When he noticed that the necklace was no longer on Katara's neck, he sighed and stared at her grimly, "You know, you don't need to take it off"

Katara's eyes widened and she averted her eyes, "Well… it's okay really. For now. I know how hard it is for Zuko, we'll let him calm down"

Iroh deeply sighed and looked away out through the window, "You know that he might not be the same person as he was, right? He is still Zuko, but… you might want to be more patient with him, from now on"

"I know that, I understand"

"And Katara, it's not wrong for you wanting to meet your 'real' family. Besides, you do have the right to know. You did promise Zuko to always be there, right? Then don't be afraid. Meeting your family doesn't mean you're leaving Zuko" Iroh explained, while he picked up all the broken pieces of his teacups.

"Y-yes, I know…" Katara walked towards the burnt curtain and unclipped it from its hinge. "I just... ugh" she sighed and looked outside, "Uncle. Can you, at least-um. Tell me any hints? About what happened in the war meeting? Please, please uncle. I _need_ to know! I can't let myself believe that Ozai burned Zuko just for nonsense!"

Iroh stopped picking up the pieces and looked up at Katara, "Point is, Zuko was still on his trial at that time. A trial of being a decent prince, since that was his first real war meeting. Therefor, he must agree to whatever Ozai said or agreed upon. There were… some things that he didn't agree"

Katara averted her eyes and clenched the burnt fabric in her fists, "I see. So… basically, he spoke against dad?"

"No-well, yes. But more likely, against one of the general. You already knew about that. But even so, he still offended his own father. That's why he was challenged into an agni kai" Iroh further explained. He got back to picking up the tiny broken pieces, and putting them on the table.

"Well, what was it that he disagreed about?"

Iroh chuckled, "Curious, aren't ya? You asked me for some hints, and there you go"

Katara smiled sheepishly, "Hehe, yeah. Guess sooner or later I'll ask him about it, or maybe he'll tell me"

Iroh sighed and slumped back into his cushion, "I sure do hope so…"

When Katara was done, she realized that the sky was getting darker and darker. She excused Iroh, and went to the bathroom to take a good long warm bath. She knew that she needed it more than anything else right now. She felt so relax after she was done. She went back to her room and decided to unpack her things.

* * *

"Augh…" Zuko slowly opened his right eye, "I'm… back in my room". He sat up using his elbows, and slowly swings his feet onto the cold metal floor. Zuko gently touched the bandages on his left face, "Katara… Ah! I have to apologize to her"

Zuko quickly stood up and went to go outside. He shut the door behind him and stared at Katara's door. He breathed in deeply and sighed, "Katara?" he gently knocked on the door. When he heard no reply, he knocked again, "Katara? Are you there?" Still no reply.

 _Hmm, maybe she's asleep already? I wonder what time is it right now._ Zuko internally asked himself. He looked to the right then back to Katara's door. He decided to just peak in a little.

He slowly turned the door handle and opened it, "Katara?" he whispered. He noticed that her room was dark, there was only a tiny lit candle on her table. _Hm, guess she's not here._

"Wait-what…?" Zuko opened the door wider for him to slip inside. He gently shut the door behind him, his eyes fixed to the work desk on the right side of the room. Zuko chuckled lowly to himself, "Tara, oh Tara… can't believe she actually brings this" he smiled to himself when he saw the sketch of her that he did as a present. It was framed and sitting gently on the corner of the table. Besides the portrait, was the fan that Iroh gave to Katara. Zuko walked closer and saw a book with a quill, and an inkpot besides it. "Huh, I wonder…" he picked up the book and turned around the front pages.

Zuko grinned, "Well, well… if it isn't her diary book!" he quickly turned around to make sure that no one was there. He was afraid that someone or worse, Katara herself, might walk in while he's sneaking on her diary. _Nah, I've always been good at sensing and hearing things. I know when someone's near._ He reassured himself. _Haha, let's see what we've got here…_

 _Dear diary,_

 _Nothing much happened today. I learned some more fire nation history and blabla, ugh it was so boring! But at least after that, I had the time to play with Zuko! At night, he showed me again the flying bugs with glowing butts! They're sooo pretty, I love them! Oh and Zuko also showed me how magical the Fire Lilies looked like at night. Seems like living here not so bad after all. Can't believe it's almost been 2 years since I got here._

Zuko couldn't contain the laughter he tried to hold, "Ahaha, how silly. Haha, flying bugs with glowing butts. Silly, tara". Zuko continued to flip through the pages, and read again.

 _Dear diary,_

 _Ugh I don't know if this is right or wrong but… I can't help it but… I feel something towards him. I don't know what this feeling is! Ah this is all so confusing! I do know that I care for him but, could it be more than that? Should I tell him? No… no no, that's a BAD idea. Ah I don't know, guess I'll see what happens. I wonder if he has the same feelings towards me too though._

Zuko frowned and scrunched up his nose, he immediately shut the book close, "Ugh, don't tell me she actually liked that peasant boy from the ember island!" He roughly put the book down onto the table, "Nah, that can't be! She only met him once… but, could it be? Ah, whatever!"

Zuko huffed annoyingly, "I gotta go see Katara and apologize now". As he walked through the empty hallways, his mind lingered towards Katara. His mind was never empty, as it filled with Katara's deep blue eyes, her bouncing wavy brown hair, and her soft caramel skin. _Will I ever have the chance to tell her? How I feel? Do I really have the courage to? What will her reaction be?_ He looked down onto the metal floor while still walking forward. He turned around a corner and, BAM!

"Agh! The fuck?!"

"Ah, P-prince Zuko! M-my apologize, s-sir!" a low ranking guard bowed deeply.

"Watch where you're going! You fool!" Zuko growled from behind his teeth.

The guard kept looking down and shivered slightly, "Y-yes, please… forgive me! It will never happen again!"

"Better not be. Or your head will be the price to pay!" Zuko huffed and looked away in annoyance. He straighten up himself and tilted his head up. He glared down at the guard, trying to look intimidating, "Tell me, have you seen Katara?"

"She's outside now, up on the front deck"

"Now, get out of my sight!" Zuko pushed the guard aside and continued on walking. He walked up the stairs and out onto the deck, he saw Katara few meters away, leaning on the ship's railing. She was looking down into the ocean, then up towards the starry sky above.

The moonlight seemed to illuminate Katara, in an unusual ethereal way. It made Zuko shivered, as he took in the sight in front of him. _How beautiful…_ he thought to himself. He gathered up all courage, then walked towards her with confidence. "Hey, tara"

Katara slowly turned her head around and she looked surprised to see Zuko, "Oh, Zuko! Are you feeling alright n-"

"Katara, I-I'm so s-sorry" Zuko stammered his words. He cursed to himself inside his head, knowing that he failed to speak out loud. He was sure that he got this, but it seemed that his confidence slipped away right when he started to talk to her, "I-uh, um I'm…" he sighed deeply, "Look-uh, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I-I didn't mean it at-all, I-"

Katara chuckled a bit and smiled warmly, she gently touched Zuko's hands and stared straight into his eyes, "It's alright Zuko, I understand. I'm also sorry"

Zuko noticed that Katara wasn't wearing her mother's necklace anymore, and it made him feel guilty, "You should put it back on, I'm so sorry. I know it's important for you, and-uh"

"Thanks, Zuko. It's okay, for now I'll lay low a bit. Besides, it does looks so out of place with me wearing red clothes" Katara reassured him.

Zuko smirked, "Then we might as well need to buy some new clothes, with different colors than red for you"

Katara hid her laughter with the back of her palm, "Nahh haha, it's alright!"

Zuko and Katara turned around and leaned on the railing together. They both stared up into the starry sky, and admired its beauty in silence. Zuko tried to steal a glance on Katara from the corner of his eyes. He saw all the stars reflected in her eyes, and it was a beautiful sight to remember indeed. He wanted to remember every detail and nail it inside mind. He realized how much he truly cared for this girl.

Katara was the first one to break the silence, "Ahh so beautiful out here, don't you think Zuko?" she asked without looking at him. "Look at that star over there!" she pointed out, "She's so bright and pretty"

"Yeah, she is…" Zuko couldn't tear his eyes away from Katara. "She's beautiful indeed"

* * *

 _Fuck I'm so tired, and my body feels sore. Why am I feeling this way?_ Zuko mindlessly thought to himself, as he walked alone through the dark metal hallways of his ship. Being near with Katara really did help him to feel better. Every time he talked to her or even had the chance to see her, he felt more refreshed in a way. The feelings he got were unexplainable, but it was great indeed. It's weird that at times he even felt like he got his self-confidence back, whenever Katara talked through him. Back on the deck a while ago, Katara got really tired and sleepy, so she excused herself for the night. Zuko thought that he needed some sleep as well, but he spent a little bit of time alone outside before going back in. Starring at the starry moonlight sky seemed to help calm his mind as well. Whenever he stared into the ocean below, it really reminded him of Katara's blue eyes-full of hope and compassion. How it reflected all the stars in the dark night sky. It's like it has its own light and life.

Zuko kept staring downwards onto the metal floor as he strode forward, hoping he won't bump into anyone. Just as he hoped that, he felt he bumped into someone big and round as he turned around a corner. He huffed and looked up, ready to yell at anyone daring to be so disrespectful towards him, but his face softened when he saw his own uncle.

"My nephew, thought you're asleep already. You need some rest, you really look tired" Iroh gently said with his low gruffy voice.

Zuko rolled his eyes and crossed his arms on his chest, "Yeah, no doubt"

Iroh averted his eyes around to make sure no one was at earshot. He leaned in closer towards Zuko and spoke lowly, "You made the right choice, Zuko"

Zuko snapped his eyes at Iroh, and furrowed his eyebrows heavily, "This is NOT-"

"I'm not done, nephew. I'm talking about _her"_

Zuko flinched back a little, his face contorted into confusion, but then his expression softened slightly, "I don't understand". He did understand what uncle Iroh had mean, he just didn't want to admit it. To admit that he really let Katara joined in his dangerous journey-mission to capture the avatar. He knew that he put Katara into danger, while this was all his wrong doing.

"You do well understand what I'm talking about" Iroh stared into Zuko's eyes sternly. He slipped his arms into his own long sleeves. He sighed deeply, "I know how you feel about this, but do understand… you made the right choice, and you did the right thing. I know that you care for her safety, but she's not a little girl anymore"

"I _know_ that clearly, uncle" Zuko huffed annoyingly and looked away. "I know she's strong and independent, but it's just that-ugh"

"Zuko, if you let her stay in the fire nation, her condition might not be any better than if she join in with you. In fact, she might not be as safe as she _is_ right now" Iroh added. He stared deeply into Zuko's widened eyes and saw some hesitation and fear. Iroh swallowed then continued on, "I know that you meant well Zuko, I completely know that. But I ask you, to please think twice. Think about Katara being all alone there without you. Alone with those _people"_. He knew that Zuko understood this, and so without expecting a reply from his own nephew, he continued on walking, "Now, excuse me"

"Uncle, wait!"

Iroh bend his body to the side a bit to see Zuko. He smiled a little and gently said, "Yes?"

Zuko averted his eyes downcast, "I-I'm… I know that but… I just-"

"You don't need to say anymore, I completely understand"

"Thank you, uncle" Zuko smiled sheepishly.

"Any time, nephew. Any time at all"

* * *

Author's note : Not much to saayy, well, I hope this chapter is good. Please leave comments and reviews! I'll be updating soon 3


	15. Chapter 15 - Eye of The Storm

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : Hey everyone! :D Happy belated new year! I hope that all of you had a great holiday, enjoying your time, and I wish you a happy time! First I want to say, thank you so so much for following my zutara fanfic for the past few months, favorite it, and also giving critiques. It means a lot to me. Honestly, I never thought I would write this fanfic this far, and that many people actually like it and wanting me to keep posting. It gives me a boost that I do have the skill to write, though I need to practice a lot more! I've been writing ever since I was young, but I don't know how, it happened that I stopped writing since years ago. Good to know that I haven't lost my skill hehe. So again, thank you so much and also so sorry for the long update. I know that it's been almost 3 months now. I've been so busy with art commissions and real life events.

Lastly, some people pointed out about the "language" here, and yes I do know I make them curse quite a lot. I don't think it's to the degree that it's really offensive or overdone, as this fanfic is rated M. But if you do think some parts are unnecessary, then I will pay attention to it and please do tell how to fix it. So without further due, here is a new chapter!

CHAPTER 15 – Eye of The Storm

" _Hahaha! Yeah, I know right?!"_

" _Haha, good one. Good one!"_

" _Tell us ano-"_

It had been five days since his banishment, and Zuko had not made any decision on his destination yet. He had not even barked out orders, as he spent the morning training hard, then sleep, then train again, then sleep. Maybe sleep was not the right word for him. Sleep never came easy to him. With aching muscles every after training session, he would go to his bed, hoping that he could fall into a deep slumber, as he never had one ever since he sat sail into the open sea. More than eager to embrace the night and silence, nightmare was the only thing embracing him with its dark sinful grin.

Knowing this night would be like any other nights before, he decided to get up and do something else. Past events had always clouded his mind like ants crawling in their tunnels of dirt, which they called 'home'. He still didn't want to believe this reality. The harsh-painful reality that his father had banished him. Disowned him.

Zuko first thought of Katara if she's awake or not, but knowing that she must be tired, he decided to leave her alone. He kept sighing and ran his rough fingers through his hair, trying to focus on anything-without luck. _Luck._ He thought to himself. _I really am just lucky 'enough' to be born._

" _Ahahah, Agni!"_

" _Ohoo careful there sailor!"_

" _I'm not a sailor! I'm a-"_

 _How dare they!_ Zuko thought bitterly to himself as he stomped his way through the dark metal hallway of his ship. Cursing under his breath and clenching his fists, his eyebrows furrowed in anger. _How dare they!_ He fastened up his pace towards the source of muffled chat and laughter. _How DARE they slack around, laughing at their stupid jokes, not caring of the world! Not caring that their own prince is banished! How dare they lay like there's nothing going on in their tiny stupid little world!_

Zuko abruptly stopped in front of a metal door, steading his ragged breath, clenched-and unclenched his fists. He straightened up his body and put on the most fowl angry looking face. He suddenly slammed the door opened as he yelled, "Get back to!-", Zuko's eyes widened as he saw his own uncle sitting on a low tiny bench sipping his tea, surrounded by some of the crew members. Zuko contorted his face into disgust, "What are you all doing?!"

One of the crew member stood up straight and bowed to Zuko, "W-we were just taking a little break, p-pri-"

"Zuko, these men are exhausted. Let them rest a little while" Iroh calmly said without looking to his own nephew, as he sipped his hot jasmine tea. "You look in a rush, nephew. What's the matter?"

Zuko froze, trying to process in his mind what Iroh had just said. _In a rush?_ Zuko fought the urge to send a jet stream of fire towards his own crew member. He huffed a puff of smoke and hissed, "You know well… why I'm in a rush. You know well, why we're out here in the open sea"

"Yes nephew I know, I know. But Zuko, it's been almost just a week" Iroh slowly lifted his gaze towards Zuko, with a pleading look on his face. Iroh silently pleaded for Zuko's own well being, knowing that his nephew's mental wound was still too fresh.

Zuko starred at his uncle dumbfounded. "You wouldn't understand, would you?". He realized that the crew members were still in the room, silently listening to him and Iroh with bowed heads. Zuko turned around and before walking a way, he tilted his head and spoke lowly, "Head to the western air temple. Full on speed. NOW!"

"Nephew, wai-", but before Iroh could finished his sentence, Zuko had gone back into the dark hallway outside with a hard bang of the metal door. Iroh sighed and shook his head, "Forgive me about my nephew. It's been… hard for him"

One of the crew member scoffed and looked away, "How come you're so different than the fire nobles, general"

Iroh just simply chuckled and set his cup of tea down, "We have to set our course to the western air temple now. By full speed, we will reach there by tomorrow night. But I assume that there might be some big waves at this hour, better to change the speed if things go rough"

* * *

Katara awoke with a jolt by the sound of a loud metal banging, not far outside her bedroom. _What on earth was that?!_ Still a little dizzy from her deep slumber, she stretched out her arms and lazily drank a glass of water from her bedside table. She scratched the back of her head as she stood up, and walked slowly towards the door. _Could it be Zuko? Ugh, this is so late at night._ She thought to herself.

Katara went outside and stood in front of Zuko's metal bedroom door. She hesitated to knock, as she's afraid that Zuko was actually asleep, but then she suddenly heard a loud thud coming from inside the room. Katara closed her eyes and sighed, "I wonder what's it about again this time…" she muttered under her breath. Katara lifted her right hand, and softly knocked on the door with her knuckles. "Eherm, Zuko? Are you alright there?"

Zuko stopped his movement abruptly when he heard Katara's muffled sleepy voice, coming from outside his bedroom. _Shit, I woke her up, damn it!_ He cursed inwardly. He stared at the pile of clothes lying on the floor not far from him. _Say your gratitude to Katara, for now you're saved from being burned!_ He dramatically said inside his own head before clearing his throat and spoke, "Yes Katara, I'm fine. Go back to sleep"

"Uh-um, okay then…" Katara's muffled answer was heard through the thick metal door.

Zuko scratched the back of his head, "And uh-Katara?"

"Yes?"

"Sorry… for waking you up". Even though Zuko couldn't see Katara physically, he could see it in his head that she must've closed her eyes and shook her head, or that she would roll her eyes. But he thought that it must be Azula who would do such gesture.

"It's…" Katara sighed heavily, "It's okay really. I-uh, nevermind"

"Alright then". Around five seconds had passed, and Zuko still had not heard any metal door clicking shut outside his room. He wondered if Katara went upstairs or elsewhere. He didn't know why but he suddenly felt worry and anxious for Katara walking around the ship alone, especially at night. He felt afraid if something horrible would happen to her. _Ugh, what's with this feeling? It's not like there's any danger at all._ He silently thought to himself. Then, he remembered the look of his own crew members, whenever Katara was around. Zuko growled internally and clenched his fists.

"Zuko?"

Zuko's body felt rigid for a second. _Geez, why am I being so jumpy today?_ He sighed slowly, "Yes… Katara?" trying his best to sound tired as if he's asleep already. Tried as he might, he seemed to never be able to completely ignore Katara. Especially when she called out his name with her soft warming voice.

"I need to-um, I need… I need to check on you. On your-uh, I mean, to change your bandages" Katara's voice got lower and softer as she finished her sentence, with a hint of hesitation in her voice.

Zuko slowly reached up to his own face, and felt a sting of pain. He realized that his wound needed to be cleaned again and to change the bandage, as it could leave a nasty infection. _Infection, huh? If infection could kill me, then be it._ He thought bitterly dark to himself.

"Um-Zuko?"

 _Will she ever stop doing this to me?_ Zuko shook his head then stomped his way towards the door and turned on the door handle, "Okay, I'll let y-". Zuko's eyes widened at the view in front of him. He could feel the rush of his warm blood flowing through his face. Katara wore a loose silk red kimono with a golden trim around the edges, and a thick ribbon tied around her slim waist. Her wavy hair was quite a mess, and it was let down around her shoulders. Zuko swallowed, as he shifted his gaze elsewhere, "You-uhm"

Katara sighed sharply, "Zuko, are you going to let me in or not, cause it's kinda cold out here" she crossed her arms and raised a single eyebrow.

Zuko quickly looked back at Katara and tried his best to focus only on her face. Katara stared back at him with her deep sleepy blue eyes. _Good thing she wears her under garment._ Zuko nodded his head as he stepped aside, and waved his left hand towards his own room. As Katara got inside, Zuko immediately closed the door behind him and said, "Next time, don't wear that kimono anymore" he muttered.

"Huh, what?" Katara tilted her head towards Zuko.

"I said, don't ever wear that kimono anymore"

"I… don't understand?" Katara fully turned around to face Zuko and crossed her arms on her chest.

Zuko sighed and pinched his nose bridge, "It's just that-ugh, it's too revealing. Okay? I-I mean to wear it here, on this ship"

"What? Zuko, this is a kimono for _sleeping_. It's not like I would go around wearing _this_. It's made of silk and I would feel too cold if I wear it outside. What's wrong with you?" Katara felt so dumbfounded. _Geez, Zuko is just getting weirder and weirder. Almost everything he said doesn't make any sense!_ She thought annoyingly inside her head.

Zuko flinched a little, "Y-yes, I know that! I mean, ah never mind". He turned around and stomped away. He plopped down onto his bed and put his head on his hands.

Katara just rolled her eyes. She tilted her eyes to the right, and saw a bowl with clear water on a table nearby. "Zuko, is the water in that bowl clean?" Katara pointed her finger towards the white bowl.

Zuko looked up towards Katara, and followed the direction to where she pointed her finger at. He nodded, "Yeah, it's clean"

Katara walked towards a drawer near the door. She knew where the clean bandages and towels were stored. She immediately gathered them, and dragged a chair towards Zuko's bed. Katara stole a quick glance towards the tiny mirror on the wall, which was still covered in a deep red cloth. _It seems that he never saw himself, yet._ She thought sadly. Katara put the chair in front of Zuko and sat comfortably, "Okay, just like always. I'm going to clean and change the bandages, alright?" Seeing that Zuko just somberly nodded without looking at her, she swallowed, "And-uhm… I'm going to try to heal it like few da-"

Zuko suddenly looked up and sharply stared at Katara, "Don't"

Katara flinched back as she was startled by the look on Zuko's eyes, "D-don't what?"

"Don't heal it"

"Wait, what? O-okay, but… why?" Katara softly asked, trying to be very careful as to not anger Zuko. She noticed that ever since his banishment, Zuko became a lot more tempered. Sometimes, he even became too harsh and rough. Though she knew that Zuko wouldn't ever do anything to harm her intentionally. She knew Zuko. But she didn't know this new side of him, yet. _Or maybe, this is actually his true side after all these years_. She wondered.

"I'm-well, I…" Zuko shut his eyes and turned his head away, "It won't heal anyway Katara" He opened his eyes and spoke softly, "Remember when you told me before that you tried to heal it? And you can't seem to do it? I'm not saying that I doubt your healing ability, I've seen you heal a greatly injured soldier before. He could walk and run by the very next day. It's just that… that I…"

"Zuko, I'm so sorry. I… Look, I'll try my best. Let's just-"

Zuko softly touched Katara's slim arms with his rough calloused hands, "It's okay, tara. I'm not… I'm not ashamed of it. If it means that what I did was to sav-uh-nevermind" he suddenly jerked his hands back and stood up. He awkwardly tried to avoid Katara's confused gaze, and walked away towards the door. He stopped in front of it, then looked at Katara with tired eyes, "It's really late, you should sleep"

"Wait, what?" Katara stood up from her chair and turned to fully face Zuko, "No Zuko, at the very least let me clean and change the bandages. You could get an infection!"

"I could do it myself, okay!" Zuko suddenly shouted, resulting in Katara to jerked back in surprise and shock. Seeing the sudden look of fear in Katara's eyes made his stomach twisted in guilt. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm tired… I just want to go to sleep"

Katara held her own palms together and spoke, "Okay then… I'll uh-go back to my room. Just don't forget to please change it. You know how do it, right?"

Zuko just silently nodded as he opened the door for Katara, "Goodnight, tara"

"Goodnight, Zuko"

* * *

The next morning was exhausting for everyone, especially for several soldiers that were chosen to fight with their own prince. Zuko had woken up quite early in the morning and started to bark orders immediately towards every crew members he met. He went to the front up deck and instantly forced some soldiers to fight with him for training. Iroh had almost stopped Zuko as he was confused why would his nephew target his own loyal soldiers, for his own anger and pleasure.

" _Zuko! Stop this nonsense! Why would you force your own soldiers to fight you?" Iroh had walked up to Zuko, and hissed under his breath._

" _Stay back, uncle. I need to train" Zuko scoffed at his own uncle, then looked back towards the quivering soldier few feet in front of him._

" _Training?" Iroh raised an eyebrow, "But this is not the way-"_

" _I need to be ready when I finally face the avatar!" Zuko shouted, "Just leave me alone, okay?!"_

Zuko had spent the whole morning challenging his own crew without break. At afternoon, he took a quick lunch then went back training on his own as he realized that all of his available soldiers, had gone tired by fighting him earlier. Evening arrived, and Zuko went back inside to take a quick shower and changed to his metal armor. The captain had told Zuko that they will be arriving at the western air temple island, in around ten more minutes.

Just as Zuko was about to knock on Katara's door, the metal door opened with a rusty creak and Katara emerged from her room. Katara flinched as she was startled to suddenly see Zuko standing tall and regally in front of her bedroom, full clothed with his metal armor suit. "Whoah, Zuko… are we… going somewhere now?"

"Yes, I was just about to notice you. We'll arrive at the location in around 5 more minutes now. Get changed and be quick" Zuko plainly said.

Katara was taken a back by the sudden change of behavior. She certainly didn't like the way Zuko talked to her-or more likely, ordered her around. She thought that maybe this really was the affect of stress and guilt, eating up Zuko from the inside. She knew that Zuko could be arrogant, but not like this. Not to her. "Um, okay. I will"

"Good" Zuko turned sharply and stomped away through the dark red-flared hallway.

"Z-Zuko! Where are we going?!"

"Western air temple"

* * *

Everyone including Katara and Iroh had spent almost a whole day, searching for the avatar at the western air temple. Iroh told Zuko that there's no use in finding the avatar here, as this place had been abandoned years and years ago. They found not even a single soul living in the area. Only forest animals, lurking around.

" _Nephew, the avatar hasn't been seen for a hundred of years! And this place is abandoned, there's no one alive living here!" Iroh had insisted._

" _But we have to keep searching for him! Capturing the avatar is my destiny, you know it uncle! Don't try to stop me" Zuko growled as he clenched his fists, and let out a breath of smoke and ash._

" _Destiny is a funny thing, Zuko. We never know-"_

" _Just shut up, okay?! This is not the time for life advice or prophecy. Damn that to hell!"_

 _Katara appeared from a small hallway near where Zuko and Iroh were standing. She slowly approached them and spoke, "Zuko...? It's getting darker now. We should-"_

 _Zuko snapped his head towards Katara and gave her a glowing glare, "What? We should what, huh? Rest? There's no time for rest, Katara"_

 _Katara furrowed her eyebrows and put her arms on her hips, "Zuko, everyone did their best to help you search the avatar for almost A WHOLE DAY! They need rest. We all do!"_

 _Iroh nodded, "Yes, she's right, nephew. Please, let's just take a break"_

" _Yes, Zuko. Please…." Katara pleaded softly, "We're all tired, we could try again tomorrow. It's getting darker, it's no use anyway"_

Zuko couldn't sleep at all. His mind was too clouded with thoughts about meeting the avatar, wondering how he would look like, how to capture him, how to defeat him, and especially, going home. _Going home. Home, huh?_ He thought bitterly to himself while starring at the dark red ceiling of fabric above him.

Zuko had insisted everyone, except for the captain and some crew members, to stay on the island and camp there for the whole night. He told them that they needed to always be aware and ready if the avatar ever showed up. Zuko had kept his hearing sharp, hoping to hear any strange sounds of footsteps, but all he heard was the deep snoring sound of his uncle, the crackling of the bonfire, the crickets singing outside, and his own ragged breath. He kept wondering if this truly was the life that he supposed to be living. He felt so low and embarrassed. Never in his life he had to sleep outside inside a tent, on the ground. It was just too humiliating for him.

Dawn had come, and Zuko immediately spent his own time to train. He then cleaned up himself quickly on a stream of water nearby, and went back to camp to wake everybody up. They all began their search for the avatar again, with no luck. Katara had told Zuko to just go back to the ship and search for somewhere else.

 _Katara approached Zuko from behind with determined steps, "Zuko, don't push yourself AND others, okay? It's getting dark again, we've been searching for two days now. Let's just try somewhere else" Katara said with a stern voice as she crossed her arms on her chest._

"Then where the hell would you suggest then, huh?" Zuko tilted his head only a little to see Katara from the corner of his eyes.

" _Well, look. I don't know. Maybe the nearest place or island?"_

" _Oh yeah, just like-"_

" _I'm NOT finished, okay?" Katara said sternly, "I was going to suggest if maybe we should go to the Earth Kingdom first, to make port there. We need to buy some supplies anyway. Then, we'll go search to the southern air temple. How's that?"_

" _Very well…"_

Katara knew that there would be no hope as well for searching the avatar on the southern air temple. But she knew that if no one would dare to stop Zuko, he would kept forcing everyone to search every meters of this whole island. It's crazy to think that Zuko could be so pushy and determined on capturing the avatar so very soon. But then Katara knew that Zuko had always been a stubborn guy. Good thing was that even though Zuko wouldn't always listen to his uncle, he seemed to always listen to Katara. As long as she approached him with gentleness and a good reason, she thought.

So Zuko did indeed listen to Katara, and ordered everyone to pull back and set sail to the Earth Kingdom. Iroh had asked Zuko what changed his mind, and Zuko simply answered that Katara suggested the idea. Iroh seemed to be taken a back a little, seeing the fact that even when Zuko was at his stubborn state, he still could listen to what others say. Or more precisely, what Katara said.

* * *

Night had come. The moon was hiding behind thick dark clouds, and there were no stars to be seen. It seemed that this particular night would be dark and foreboding. The water current was being rough as well, and several times, big waves had crashed onto the ship. Several hours had passed by, and rain began to pour. Thunders rolled in the dark heavy clouds above, and lightning cracked several times. Zuko showed no anxiety, even though deep down he felt that this night wouldn't end good.

As Zuko was about to change into his comfortable everyday outfit, a soldier knocked harshly on his metal door, shouting, "Prince Zuko! There's a big storm, and it's getting worse!"

Zuko cursed inwardly as he quickly grabbed his boots while he shouted back, "I will be up at deck!" and with that, Zuko heard the heavy footsteps of his soldier faded away. Just as he went out of his bedroom, Katara opened her door and peeked outside.

"Zuko? What's going on? I was just sleeping and I heard shouting" Katara asked tiredly with her sleepy eyes.

"It's nothi-"

"AAHH!" Katara yelped as the ship suddenly titled down to the right sharply. She quickly grabbed a hold onto the door framed and stood her ground, "Oh my god, I could feel it! I could feel the heavy currents. Zuk-"

The ship suddenly jerked back to the left side, and Zuko noticed that the heavy metal door was about to close back, crashing Katara between it and a wall. "KATARA! WATCH OUT!" Zuko moved quickly with a speed of light, covering Katara with half of his body, as he blocked the metal door with his right arm. "Argh!" Zuko shut his eyes close.

"Zuko! Are you alright?" Katara asked with a shocked look on her face. The ship slowly moved back and stood normally for a while, before shaking to the left and right softly. Katara felt strong waves coming from the distance. She felt the water flow strongly in her blood. She felt the push and pull in each of her rapid heartbeat.

Zuko furrowed his eyebrows and nodded slowly, "Y-yeah. Be careful Katara, just stay here! I need to help the others". With that, Zuko quickly turned around and ran through the dim hallway.

Katara reached out her arm towards Zuko, "No, Zuko! It's too dangerous! I'm the one that could help them!"

Zuko took a quick glance towards Katara and shouted, "NO! Stay where you are!"

Katara slammed the door behind her and ran after Zuko. _Good thing I'm not wearing that night kimono. Maybe Zuko was right after all._ She thought awkwardly to herself. "I'm a waterbender for Agni's sake! I can help!"

"UGH, YOU-" Zuko was about to push Katara away so that she would go back to her room but he failed to do so, as the ship suddenly jerked back and he fell hard onto the metal floor on his bottom. "Ough!"

"Ouch!" Katara fell forward and landed right on top of Zuko. She quickly jerked her head up as she realized that her head fell on Zuko's lower stomach. She blushed heavily and tried her best to stand up, "I-uh, I'm so sorry. Ex-excuse me!" As she stood up, she quickly ran and turned sharply on a corner hallway.

"Katara, wait!" Zuko stood up and shaking a bit, as he caressed his bottom, "Ugh, that stubborn waterbending girl!" He quickly fixed himself and ran to catch up with Katara, occasionally supporting himself on the wall whenever a small wave crashed by. As he got closer and closer to the stairs towards the upper deck, he could hear loud shouting of his crew, and a high pitch female voice which clearly belonged to Katara. Thunders rolled loudly in the dark clouds above. Zuko ran up the stairs and out onto the deck. Everything was in chaos.

Zuko saw that everyone was running from another side of the deck, to the other side. Everyone was shouting towards each other, giving orders and panicking as well. Zuko noticed that the sky was pitch black, covered with thick clouds that were occasionally seen each time a lightning strike down. The rain poured harshly, and it somehow prickled his soft pale skin. It felt oddly cold and piercing. He never experienced any storms before, let alone one as bad as this. He's not sure what to really do besides helping the others, he wished he had gone to a real war back in his younger days. He prayed to Agni that the captain knew well what he's doing.

"Arrgh!"

"AAH!"

"Oughh"

Everyone was shocked as a sudden huge wave crashed onto the ship. Many men had fell down, and some of them quickly ran to hold tight onto a railing nearby. Some of the crew members emerged from the other side of the deck below, carrying wooden crates and thick brown sacks.

"Just throw it into the water!" a rough, deep voice shouted.

Zuko whipped his head around, trying his best to see clear as his vision was constantly blurred by the hard pouring rain. He saw around five meters away from him, his uncle stood and shouting out orders.

"Where's princess Katara?!" a young crew member shouted, as he emerged from the deck below. "There's a leak in one of the storage room! We need her!"

Zuko was about to shout back as he heard that familiar piercing voice, "I'm here!" He turned his head to the right and saw Katara running with her hair all loose and wet, "Show me the way!" Katara shouted to the young crew member.

"NO!" Zuko ran as fast as he could towards Katara, trying his best not to slip, "It's too dangerous! I'm NOT letti-"

"I'm NOT powerless, Zuko! They need my help!" Katara shot Zuko a stern galre.

Zuko clenched his fists and jerked his body forward, "But-"

"No buts, Zuko! We're in an emergency state here! We could all sink!" With that, Katara nodded towards the young crew few feet away from her, and started to run into his direction. Right before she went below deck, she whipped her head and gazed towards the open sea far ahead. Katara widened her eyes and shouted at the top of her lungs, "EVERYBODY! A BIG WAVE COMING! BRACE YOURSELF!"

Zuko cursed inwardly as he ran towards the nearest wall, and held tight onto a metal bar stuck on the wall, specifically designed for emergency and safety purposes. He saw everyone ran towards many directions, trying to find their own place to be safe and sheltered. Some of them that were too closed towards the ships' edge, decided to hold tight onto the railings, as it would be too far for them to run away and find shelter. A single lightning flashed and crashed onto the open sea, and for two seconds, Zuko saw their doom with utter terror.

Katara saw it too and knew that she had to take action. She knew that she had to believe in her own power. There's no way that they could survive being crashed by a fifteen meters tall wave.

"Oh dear, Agni…" Iroh whispered dryly. He held tighter onto the metal bar until his knuckles turned white. "Save us-NO!"

Katara let go of her grip and ran as fast as she could without slipping, onto the middle of the deck. She turned her body towards the ocean and fully faced the deathly wave. She gathered up all her courage and took a simple waterbending stand.

"No… NO! KATARA!" Zuko shouted as loud as he could, losing his grip and slipped away. He fell hard and hit his head onto the metal floor below. "Ughh…" Zuko cursed himself for being so reckless and clumsy, he prayed to Agni to not let him faint away. With pain in his head, and a blurry starry vision, he tried his best to stood back up and found his balance. He pinched the bridge of his nose then pushed himself up, and quickly grabbed ahold of the metal bar again. Between the sounds of thunders, lightning, and the harsh pouring rain, he could hear many mumblings of his crew members.

"This is just incredible!" a young raspy voice, shouted with amazement.

Zuko scratched his eyes with his knuckles and turned his head towards the raspy voice. He saw that a young crew member stood his ground, his eyes widened in amazement. Zuko shifted his gaze towards the direction where the young man was looking, and he found himself in shock and awe as well.

Katara, standing strongly with her legs apart a little, her strong slim arms shot up into the sky, her palms curled into almost a claw like hands. The hard rain kept pouring, and strong winds whipped around her thick messy hair. When Zuko saw her eyes, he felt his feet buckled a little. Never in his life, he saw Katara with such powerful piercing gaze. Her steely deep blue eyes showed the inner power she truly had. Zuko felt like he was frozen to the spot. Those hypnotizing eyes were gone however, as Katara's face slowly contorted into a calmer expression, and she slowly closed her eyes. Zuko felt a little disappointed and just began to realize that everyone was starring at her. As sweat trickled down Katara's forehead mixed with rainwater, she let out a breath and moved her arms forward slowly. Zuko turned his head around towards the ocean and saw that Katara had been holding off the deathly wave. With a flick of her hands, Katara pushed the wave back with all her might.

Slowly, the wave shrank smaller and moved back. Katara did her best to focus on her power with all her might, and kept a steady breathing. She tried hard to release her fears of death as it was blocking her chi and inner power. The rain started to stop pouring, and by the time the wave was completely gone, the whole ocean went calmer. Lightning had stopped crashing, and not even a single sound of thunder rolled in the dark clouds. The rain had stopped pouring all completely, and the sea became normal again. Katara let out a long breath and slowly opened her eyes. She felt the soft calming breeze as it slowly opened the dark thick clouds above.

"Yaayyy!" everyone cheered. They shouted and clapped their hands, and some even ran towards Katara with happy faces and wide smiles.

"Thank you for saving us, princess Katara!"

"You're our life savior!"

"We're very grateful"

"We owe you, princess-"

"Princess!"

Between the small crowed, Zuko saw a flash of red clothing fell down. He released his grip on the metal bar, and quickly ran towards the crowd. He pushed aside everyone that was on his way, "Move away! Move!" As Zuko got into the center of the crowd, he saw that Katara had fainted and was held by one young soldier. Zuko widened his eyes and immediately knelt down, "Get away from her!"

"Sh-she suddenly f-fainted" stuttered the young soldier.

Zuko shot the young soldier a death glare. He swept Katara off and carried her bride style. "Check any damage on this ship, and fix it right away!" Zuko barked towards his men as he carried Katara away.

"W-what a-about the-um leaking, sir?" a crew member had asked.

"I'll help you fix it" Iroh emerged and softly put his hand onto the young crew's shoulder. "Show me the way, young lad"

"Y-yes, general!"

Before Iroh walked away, he jerked his body towards Zuko on his side, "Take care of her, Zuko". Zuko simply nodded and walked away, into the deck below. Iroh slowly shook his head. _Such amazing power does Katara has. In time, she could overpower Azula._ Iroh thought to himself with amusement.

Zuko walked through the dim metal hallway, occasionally looking at Katara's face each time she stirred in his arms. Zuko couldn't believe that she felt so light in his arms. He blushed as he suddenly realized that this was probably the first time he ever held her this way. As he turned around a corner, he immediately walked towards to his bedroom door. _Wait, why am I bringing her to my room?_ Zuko asked himself embarrassed. He shook his head and opened the door to his room carefully as to not let Katara fell off his arms. _It's fine. I need to watch over her anyway._

Zuko pushed the door further open with the side of his right body, and went inside. The sound of water dripping onto a metal floor sounded loud in this close spaced room. He grunted when he realized that he had to cover his bed first before laying Katara down. Zuko very gently laid Katara down on top of a soft red carpet, and he quickly grabbed a thick blanket, then laid it on top of his bed. He immediately picked up Katara again and laid her down onto his own bed.

 _She's so soaked, she could catch a cold if she doesn't…_ Zuko turned his head around, trying to hide the crimson on his pale cheek, even though he knew no one was looking. He knew that he had to change Katara's outer clothes at the very least. He sighed heavily and pinched his nose bridge, "Damn it, why now…?"

Zuko quietly went outside, and opened the door to Katara's bedroom. He peeked inside and light up a flare of fire in his palm. He slowly stepped inside, and looked around for Katara's drawer, "Ah there it is. I hope she keeps her clothes here…" he whispered as he walked towards the drawer. While he ruffled through Katara's clothes, he saw a shiny object that reflects his very own fire. He touched the object and it felt smooth and silky, and apparently, it had a velvety fabric to it too. He pulled it out to inspect it, and saw that it was the necklace that Katara had told him about. "So… this is her _mother's_ necklace, huh?". Zuko abruptly put the necklace back as he thought about Katara not truly belonged to his own family. He lived his life growing up together with Katara, that he almost forgot that she never was a fire noble. Somehow it hurts him to accept the fact that she came from a completely opposite place. This very fact, only fuels his fear that maybe Katara wanted to leave him after all. Zuko shook his head and continued to do what he had planned before.

After he found a decent clean outfit, he went back to his bedroom and kneeled besides Katara. _Good thing that I'm cold right now._ He smirked to himself. He quickly but gently changed Katara's outerwear, making sure he didn't peak anything inappropriate to stare at. He can't help his teenage hormones, and he knew very well that Katara was growing into an even more beautiful young women. He can't help but notice the curves of her slim waist, her soft mocha caramel skin, and the way her thick wavy hair sways with her hips as she walked. _She's so beautiful._ Zuko thought to himself. As he was done with Katara, he gently plopped himself down on the bed's edge besides Katara. He stared at her face for some time. _Oh how I wish I could see that look in your eyes again._ Zuko slowly bent his body forward and gently caressed Katara's left cheek. "I guess… that's what people call it. The eye of the storm" he whispered. And with that, he laid a gentle kiss on Katara's forehead and left the room.

* * *

Author's note : Well there it is! After few months of not updating haha, I really hope you like this chapter. Please tell me how you think, leave a comment and review. I really need to know if you're truly enjoying this fic and it's not boring you lol. Tell me anything that I need to improve or pay more attention. You may also give me some cool ideas to spice up the story. There will be some intense romance in this story, soon enough, but not yet. I want their relationship to be realistic, so I want to take it a bit slow. I also want to add more "tensions" between them but I'm not quite sure how, so do tell me how and give me any ideas.


	16. Chapter 16 - Masks of Truth

DISCLAIMER : I do not own avatar the last airbender.

Note : Heyy again everyone! :D Sorry it took a long time for me to update. I'm so busy with my art projects and commissions. Thanks for the comments and critiques that I've been getting. One flaw that someone pointed out was about the diary idea. In a way, I think yes, it was kind of silly. Why would Katara and Zuko so carelessly let their diary books open like that? I should've thought about it more. But oh well it happened lol. Off we go to the new chapter now!

CHAPTER 16 – Masks of Truth

"Katara? Hey, Katara?" a soft raspy voice whispered.

"Un-ugh…" _Ugh my head, feels like a brick just fell on my forehead! And what's this annoying voice?!_ Katara shut her eyes tighter and slowly turning away from the voice besides her.

"Katara, wake up" a hand gently touched Katara's left shoulder and shook it.

"Urgh" Katara grunted, wishing inside that whoever that was, would leave her alone to her deep slumber, "Sh-shoo… ergh"

"Katara, we're here. We have arrived…"

 _Wait, this voice… is it?_ Katara couldn't help but slowly opened her eyes and turned her head softly to the source of the voice she heard. She saw that familiar pool of fiery golden eyes. One was perfect, and one was… "Z-Zuko..?"

Zuko smiled gently as he plopped down onto Katara's bed, "Hey Tara, we've arrived at the Earth Kingdom. I wanted to wake you up earlier but…" he lowly chuckled, "That would be cruel of me. You slept so peacefully"

"Hmph, as if…" as Katara realized what was going on, her eyes went wide and she immediately tried to sit up right, but resulted in swaying back to the bed, "Argh, so dizzy…"

"Hey hey, go easy on yourself" Zuko furrowed his eyebrow, "Seems like you really used a lot of your power"

"Oh Agni, how long have I been out? And-and, we're at the Earth Kingdom already?! But that's… that's impossible!" Katara shut her eyes close while she rubbed her temples.

With concern in Zuko's eyes, he gently asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. Just… feeling tired that's all" Katara sighed.

Zuko sighed heavily, "Well, we're in no way hurry. So, take all the time you need. It's still dusk anyway. You've been away for around 3 days by the way". Zuko stood up slowly but stopped in mid action as he felt a hand grabbing his left arm. He turned his head back and stared straight into the deepest pool of blue eyes ever.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm… well-"

"Stay…"

"Katara I have to help the others"

"Argh, fine" Katara let go of Zuko's arm and gently pushed herself up. Zuko immediately lend a hand to help Katara up. "Thanks Zuko" she said, smiling, "I'll come with you. I kinda miss the land anyway. I need some fresh air"

"Yeah, I knew you'd like to walk around. Uncle suggested us to go. I didn't really want to go but, as much as I hate it, I have to come anyway" Zuko said boringly. He then looked at Katara up and down, "And uh, you should change"

Katara immediately rolled her eyes, "I know Zuko, I know". She walked over to her small wardrobe, "Hmm what to wear, what to weaarr? Is it hot outside, Zuko?"

Zuko tilted his lips upwards, "Um, yeah… kind of"

"Kay well, I'll just wear a normal top and pants silk cotton" Katara mumbled while she took out some clothes. She turned back around facing Zuko and cleared her throat, "Do you mind?"

"Huh?" Zuko looked at her dumbly.

"Do, you, mind?" Katara held up the clothes that she's holding.

Zuko's eyes went wide, a soft blush forming on his cheeks. "Ah-uh, oh no. I-I mean yes! I mean, agh nevermind!" he held up his hands, and quickly turned back and walked towards the door. "I'll be waiting outside. Change quickly"

"Hmph, what's with him"

* * *

"Wow, lucky us to have a good place to stay here!" Katara said cheerfully while putting down her small bag onto a queen sized bed. She plopped down to the edge of the bed, and taking in her new surroundings. Katara was pleased with the pale green colors in the enormous bedroom, contrasted by some golden ornaments on the walls. Finally, she thought, something different than red, black, and gold.

On the other side of the room, another queen sized bed lies near the wall. Zuko tossed away his belongings messily onto his bed. "Yeah of course we would get this one. We have to. No questions". Zuko idly kicked another bag on the floor next to his bed, "I won't ever imagine myself sleeping in a disgusting cheap small room" his face contorted into disgust.

"Hey!" Katara's eyebrows furrowed, "Don't be mean like that! We're just lucky! You have no idea how the lives of these poor people are. You need to get your ass off your high horse"

Zuko lay down onto his bed, "Lucky us then, just like you said"

"Tch, whatever!" Katara kneeled down onto the floor and searched through her personal small bag, "Oh yeah, I found a poster about a cool festival two nights later" she said as she pulled out a rolled poster and opened it, "It's a festival for the Spirits! There would be fireworks, many games, and dancing. Ouuhh and, it's said here to wear a mask too! Oh wow that sounds fun!"

"Oh yeah? Woohoo…" Zuko boringly cheered while he lazily punched his fist into the air. "Tell me more about it"

Katara's eyes wide in amusement as she stared at the colorful poster, "I remember on our way here, I heard someone was talking about the village people selling masks already. We should check it out!". She put the poster down and turned her head to the right where Zuko was lying on his bed, "Do you wanna go out for lunch? So we could also check out those masks?"

"What?!" Zuko pushed himself up with his elbows, "You don't seriously mean to go, do you?"

"Pfft, of course I dooo!" Katara swayed her right hand. "C'mon, let's get changed now! We'll have delicious meals aaand then we'll go look around for our masks" she smiled widely.

"Wha-what? The hell no!" Zuko plopped back down onto his bed, "Good luck finding it on your own"

"Urgh!" Katara stood up and stomped her feet, "Want it or not, you are COMING with me!" she stomped her way towards Zuko's bed and stopped right at the edge.

Zuko turned to the side, away from Katara, "No, go away"

"Zukoo pleaassee?" Katara clasped her hands together even though Zuko couldn't see it.

"Hell no, you're being annoying" Zuko huffed.

"Pleaase, Zuchuu please?"

Zuko flinched at the word _Zuchuu_ and tilted his head to the side so he could see Katara from the corners, "W-what did you call me?"

"Please, Zuko! It'll be fun!"

Zuko hunched his shoulders forward while growling in irritation, "Ugh, no! And don't use that chiptone voice on me"

"Pleassee, oh please please, have some fuunn" Katara grabbed Zuko's left arm and shake him harshly.

"Fuck, Agni! Fine!" Zuko whipped around to stare straight at Katara's eyes, "Only a quick lunch, get your stupid mask, and we'll be back! That's it"

"Okay, okay!" Katara grinned.

"Deal or no deal"

"Geez Zuko, deal!"

* * *

"I regret all my life to agree to this…" Zuko mumbled as he tossed around his food on the plate. "Why do I have to eat this peasant food, anyway? Why did I agree to this… Oh, Agni" he said annoyingly while putting his elbows on the table.

"Mmm, yummy! These foods are so delicious! Oh Zuko, you gotta try this one!" Katara picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks and pushed it towards Zuko's mouth.

"Yeuck! Get that thing away from me!" Zuko immediately jerked his body back, "I'm not eating anything from here!"

"Ugh, what's wrong with you" Katara pouted. She quickly put the dumpling into her own mouth and decided to finish all the dumplings by herself, "Mmph-you know, it's-mm-yumm sometimes good to try-mphm different food that's not so _luxurious_ "

Zuko rolled his eyes and waved his right hand, "Yeah, that's for _you_. Not for me" he slumped back into his chair and crossed his arms on his chest, "Plus, all these people been starring at us like weird, it's so annoying!"

"Okay, okay! I'm done now" Katara put down her chopsticks and raised her arm to call the servant, "Heyy! We're done here!" she called out to a shy servant boy standing at the corner of the room. The servant boy suddenly straightened up himself and paced over to their table.

Zuko abruptly stood up, "Just hurry up and pay them. I feel sick here. I'm getting out of this place!" he clenched his fists as he stomped away. Katara could only sighed and felt sad for what he had become. She quickly paid the food and walked outside the tiny restaurant.

* * *

"How much are these?" Katara asked the old lady standing behind many boxes full of weird masks.

"Oh, it depends on the details on them darling" the old lady politely answered. She then pointed out to some simple colored masks, "These ones start from 2 to 5 copper each". She turned to her back and pointed to 5 masks that were hanged on a small wooden wall, "And these are 1 silver each, as they have special delicate carvings. And, also meanings" she turned back towards Katara and smiled.

Katara made an 'O' with her mouth as she was amazed by them, "Well, I-uh… I really like that one" she pointed out on a mask hanged on the wall. It was a half face red mask, symbolizing a beautiful dragon. "That one looks interesting"

The old lady smirked, "Your pick's quite a fitting one. That is the 'Blood Dragon'. She is charming but strong in a way. She is delicate but very deadly at the same time. She's one for strength and confidence"

"Mhmm, really interesting. Sounds quite scary honestly buutt… I'll take it!" Katara offered the old lady 3 pieces of silver coins, "Here, just take it" she smiled warmly.

"Oh, thank you deary!" The lady took it eagerly and smiled brightly. "What about this young man here? Is he your boyfriend?"

"He's NOT my boyfriend!", "She's NOT my girlfriend!" Katara and Zuko shouted in unison. They blushed at each other and quickly turned their heads away.

"Ohoho, aren't you two just adorable!" the old lady giggled.

"Ugh, I have no time for this! You got your stupid mask, we're leaving. Now" Zuko grumpily said and turned on his heels but stopped as Katara quickly grabbed him by his right elbow. "Katara!"

"Oh Zuko c'mon now, you haven't chose one for you!" Katara pouted.

Zuko's eyes bulged in disbelief, "Agni, Katara! You seriously think I'd buy one?!" He roughly pulled his arm away from her hand, "Let's go back now!"

"Uurgh!" Katara quickly stomped her way towards Zuko and stopped right in front of him. She put her arms on her hips and pouted like a child, "Zuko pleeasee c'moonn!"

Zuko crossed his arms, "Geez, what's wrong with you lately?"

Katara clasped her hands together in front of her chest, "Pweaase?" she purposely made her eyes looked droopy and puppy like.

"Agni, not that look. FINE! Okay, go pick one for me like whatever!" Zuko dismissed her by waving his right hand. Katara immediately smiled brightly and went back to the mask booth. The old lady heard it all and so she calmly said, "I'm sorry but the rule is that you have to buy your _own_ mask. Each mask represents a real spirit. They choose you. Not you choose them"

Zuko rolled his eyes and walked towards the mask booth, "For the sake of making her shut up about this…" he mumbled to himself.

"Apples for sale! Apples for sale! 5 apples only 2 coppers!" a child like voice shouted few feet away.

Katara whipped her head towards the voice, "Oh wow, Zuko! Look at that poor child selling apples all alone"

"So, what? You gonna do something about it?" Zuko asked mockingly.

"Iyeap!" Katara turned on her heels and turned her head just a bit before she walked, "Go pick your own mask Zuko, I wanna buy some apples from him!"

"Geez, that girl…" Zuko sighed deeply and shook his head. He walked up towards the mask booth and crossed his arms, "I'll pick uuh-argh, I just don't care! That one!" he randomly pointed towards a bear-panda like mask. He then searched through his pouch and pulled out 2 silver coins.

The old lady grabbed the mask from the wall and handed it over to Zuko, "Alright, here you go". Zuko snatched the mask from the old lady's hand, and before he turned on his heels, the old lady spoke, "Though… I did notice you kept looking at that one" she said while pointing towards a blue mask hanged on the wall. It's a full mask covering the whole face, representing what looks like a demon with a sad look but a wide silver grin on its' face.

She took the blue mask from the wall, "This is the 'Blue Spirit'. I can _feel_ it's calling for you. You should have it young boy. Just keep it for free" she outstretched her arm in which was holding the blue mask towards Zuko. "He shows you your true _mirror_. Makes you take action based on your true heart's desires. A very noble and loyal one indeed, hence the color is blue"

Zuko felt a weird sensation inside of him and without any arguments, he politely took the mask from her hand, "Um-kay, thanks.." he put both of his masks into his personal bag and turned away. "Katara! we're done here!" He called out to her as he walked away from the mask booth. Inside his head, he couldn't help but kept hearing those words over and over again. _Your true mirror._

* * *

"Oh haha, I can't believe you succeeded in dragging him all the way!" Iroh laughed as he slumped into his chair and held his jiggling tummy, "And nonetheless, made him buy his own mask! Such a wonderful time you both had this afternoon."

"Yeah, I know right! And how cute was the mask that he chose! Isn't that right, Zuko?" Katara smiled widely towards Zuko on her right side; sipping her lily-jasmine tea.

Zuko hit his palm onto the table in front of them, "It's NOT funny! I regret that all of my life! Ugh!"

"Oh don't be too grumpy," Katara said-rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I'm getting sleepy now. Off to dreamland!" Katara said as she put down her teacup and rose up slowly, "Night-night"

"Night Katara," Iroh said.

"Night tara," Zuko said, gripping his teacup when Katara closed the door behind her. "Uncle, we need to talk about the whereabouts of the avatar. And also our next move"

Iroh looked up behind his grey-eyelashes, "Why the rush? You need to relax a bit, nephew. We just arrived here." He poured in his teacup, "You want some more tea?"

Zuko gritted through his teeth, "I don't want tea!" He huffed a puff of smoke, "Don't play dumb, uncle. You know this matter is utter importance."

Iroh sighed, "We shall talk about this tomorrow night. For now, just relax. Plus, you should be expecting the spirits day festival tomorrow night with Katara." He sipped in his tea, "Just have fun a little"

"Last time I tried to have _fun_ , I almost burned myself to death. So haha, fuck it" Zuko stood up abruptly and marched to the door.

"Sleep well, nephew" Iroh quickly said before Zuko closed the door behind him.

Zuko flinched and tilted his head to the side a little, "When did I ever have a good sleep"

* * *

Note : Sorry for such short update! L But hey, at least I update after so long lol. I promise I will be posting the next chapter soon. I actually have been writing this chapter for quite a long time and planned to make it a lot longer, but since it's been forever since I last updated, I decided to stop it right here and post it. Again, recently I'm busy with my personal project (I'm writing a book and making a webcomic) so please bear with me. Pls give me your opinions, advices, or any comments. It really helps and encourages me to write more, thanks! :D


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